Man pays a hefty price for littering in Buckinghamshire
A man from Watford who discarded a single cigarette butt outside a parade of shops in Little Chalfont has paid a hefty price for the offence after being forced to pay over £1,600 by Magistrates in court.
Arthur McCann, from Northwich Road, Watford, was convicted of littering, in his absence, when the case was heard at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on 1 October 2025.
The court heard that on 25 February 2025, a cigarette butt was littered outside the parade of shops in Little Chalfont. Buckinghamshire Council’s litter enforcement officers witnessed the offence and issued a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £500. McCann chose not to pay the penalty and so the council reviewed the case and submitted it for prosecution.
In court, Magistrates fined McCann £500 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £941.16. A victim surcharge of £200 was also levied, making a total to pay of £1,641.16.
Carl Jackson is Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change & Waste. He said: “This case sends the message loud and clear that Buckinghamshire Council takes a zero-tolerance approach to littering. Anyone caught littering will be issued with a £500 Fixed Penalty Notice. If that person chooses to ignore the notice, they could end up facing prosecution and paying much more.”
Carl added: “There is no reason to drop litter. A discarded cigarette might be small, but it is still litter which contains harmful substances. I urge people to put their rubbish in a public bin or take it home and dispose of it responsibly there."
Buckinghamshire Council has a zero-tolerance stance on littering and encourages members of the public to report littering incidents. Littering from vehicles is another primary concern in the county, costing taxpayers millions of pounds annually for cleaning. The enforcement team welcomes public submissions of littering offences captured by vehicle dashcams or home CCTV systems to help address this issue. All penalty fees are reinvested into the service to create a cleaner Buckinghamshire.