'Lazy' and 'irresponsible' driver fined £150 for throwing cans out of car window

The driver was waiting at traffic lights in Hendon when he was spotted by an environmental officer travelling in the car behind him. The officer took the car's registration and traced the driver with the help of the police to an address in Houghton.

When confronted, he admitted throwing the cans out of the window and offered to pay the fine.

.Councillor Amy Wilson, portfolio holder for transport and environment at Sunderland City Council, said: "Throwing waste out of your car is not just lazy but irresponsible and this driver really ought to have known better."The vast majority of people take a pride in their city and wouldn't dream of throwing rubbish out of their car window. "They take their rubbish home with them or put it in a bin when they get to where they are going but there are always a few drivers who think its acceptable to get rid of their rubbish there and then."I would appeal to anyone who sees someone throwing waste out of a car to take down the registration number and report it to the council."

Since February last year, the council has handed out more than 1,300 formal warnings and notices and 173 fixed penalty notices for environmental crimes across Sunderland including littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping. Fixed penalty notices offer offenders the opportunity to pay the fine without facing higher court charges, or a criminal record.

In December 2017, we launched our Clean Streets campaign which calls on the public to take pride in their city and report fly-tipping and other rubbish-related crimes as they see them.

As part of a Big City Survey, you told us that Sunderland needed to smarten up its public places, and Clean Streets was born.

Since the campaign's launch, the council agreed to double the fine for those who drop litter. It went up from £75 to £150. We have also continued to report on the people who do not follow the rules, and have dumped rubbish or other items out in the open.

How you can get involved with the Sunderland Echo's Clean Streets campaign

*Do you know of a litter blackspot? Is there somewhere in the city where you're always spotting rubbish? Then we want to know about it! Send us your pictures and tell us what you think on email [email protected], or share them with us on Facebook or Twitter.

*Would your business, school or community group like to help with Clean Streets? Don't forget to let us know if you're working on a clean-up project or picking litter in your neighbourhood. We'd love to shout about your work. Let us know via email or social media, or call the newsdesk on 0101 501 7326.

You can report fly-tipping and litter to the council online here, by phone on 0191 520 5550 or to your local ward councillor.