Driver throws away £50 parking ticket and is instantly fined £250 for littering

A furious motorist threw her £50 parking ticket to the floor in disgust - and was instantly fined £250 for littering.

Video shows the moment the woman was seen unloading from her a car in a no loading zone in Falmouth, Cornwall. After spotting her, an inspector placed the fine on her windscreen, which she then promptly threw to the ground in annoyance. She wasn't done there, and begun verbally abused the officer.

The driver was then slapped with a £250 fixed penalty notice for littering, which could be reduced to £150 due to early payment. The incident was captured by a body worn camera from a Civil Enforcement Officer and released to show what could happen if fines are discarded. She was also sent another copy of the Parking Charge Notice.

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Two other litter louts have also been fined after their offences were caught on camera. Other CCTV footage shows a man throwing an egg custard carton from his vehicle on a country lane in the St Austell area. A woman was also caught on CCTV dropping a drinks bottle as she climbed into the passenger seat of a vehicle in Falmouth.

In both incidents the footage was shared with the Council’s Community Protection Enforcement team who made further enquires and were later able to identify both individuals, who admitted the offences.

They each received a £250 Fixed Penalty Notice for littering with an early repayment option of £150, if paid with 14 days. Both individuals paid £150 within the 14 day period. Councillor Thalia Marrington, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Public Health at Cornwall Council, said: “Cornwall is beautiful, and we want to keep it that way.

“There is no excuse for dropping litter and when we have evidence of these offences, we will always try to trace those responsible. As well as public CCTV cameras, more and more people now have doorbell and home security cameras that capture this type of offence. I urge anyone with such footage to report it to us so we can investigate."

A shocking study last year revealed that a quarter of Brits confess to littering, with half of them tossing away plastic items after just one use, showing scant regard for the environmental consequences. The research, involving 2,000 adults, uncovered that while one in 20 shamelessly leave their trash at the beach, only a quarter recognise the negative impact litter has on marine life.

Despite 54% of participants acknowledging single-use plastics as the most harmful to the environment, nearly half continue to purchase drinks and discard the bottles instead of opting for reuse. The study also highlighted that 23% of people have carelessly poured strong cleaning agents like bleach down the drain, with over half not giving a second thought to the potential harm this could cause to oceanic ecosystems.

Calum Duncan, head of conservation and policy at the Marine Conservation Society, commented: "Our daily habits, from which cleaning products we choose to use to what we buy on the go, all has an impact on our seas." He urged everyone to make eco-friendlier choices both in shopping and waste disposal.

He added: "Data from our beach clean volunteers last year showed that the biggest source of litter on beaches surveyed is from the public, and nine out of the top 10 litter items were made of plastic. Plastic pollution is a serious threat to our ocean, breaking down into smaller pieces known as microplastics, and causing harmful effects on marine wildlife and ecosystems."