COMMENT: Pasty litter lout gets food for thought with £200 hit

A woman must fork out more than £200 after dropping a pasty in Sunderland city centre. This picture was taken on private land for illustrative purposes.

Litter lout Joanne Robson’s half-baked idea of disposing of the remains of her pasty ended up costing her a small fortune.

But there’s plenty of people in Sunderland who will be applauding the city council for dishing out a big financial penalty in their efforts to clean up the city.

As we reveal today, Robson, 44, of Gladstone Street, Roker, was caught dumping the snack on Crowtree Road. A clear breach of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act and, to be perfectly frank, a clear breach of common decency.

There are too many in our community who treat the streets as their own personal litter bin.

Three others were also hit in the pocket when they flicked their fag ends in the street too. Council leader Coun Graeme Miller said: “We hope these cases reinforce the message that we are not prepared to see people treating our city like a dustbin.”

Our Clean Streets campaign was launched on the back of the public’s concern at the state of the city’s streets. The council has backed the campaign and worked hard to improve the environment and encourage the public to take pride in their community.

Many people have played their part and many more support their efforts. It’s the minority causing the problem and, as the council’s policy clearly shows, they’re not afraid to hit offenders hard.

Let’s hope this provides more food for thought for those who think nothing of blighting our community.