Zero tolerance on failure to pay Council fines

The Council has experienced a ‘significant increase’ in the number of people failing to pay Fixed Penalty fines for littering and dog fouling offences.

Currently there are 35 summonses in the court system with more being prepared.

Council officers said they intend to pursue all those who failed to pay ‘to make a statement that CBC were serious about tackling the issue and the public could not avoid the consequences if detected’.

In November last year there were two cases related to alcohol offences.

In one case the defendant was fined £25 with a £100 charge for professional fees, court costs of £44 and witness costs of £88.

A second case saw the defendant face a fine of £75 with a £75 in professional fees incurred, also court costs of £38 and witness costs of £44.63.

Also in November there was 54 fixed penalty notices issued for littering and dog fouling offences. The rolling total for the year was 556 Fixed Penalty Notices issued.

At the September sitting of Craigavon Magistrates Court there had been one prosecution for litter offences.

A man from the Garvaghy Road denied committing the offence but was fined £80 but costs of £105.