A DRIVER caught chucking litter out of their window in Sedgemoor has been given £150 fine.

Under new legislation passed in 2018, local authorities can now issue fixed penalty notices to the owner of vehicles if they are caught, under civil proceedings at the County Court.

With the rise of dash-cam footage, any persons seen throwing litter out of a car can be recorded.

So long as the number plate is clear as well as the litter being thrown, Court officials will accept this as evidence.

Litter in our hedges and verges is a danger to wildlife, unattractive which ruins views, walks and is classed as environmental crime.

Under those new powers, Sedgemoor District Council received evidence that a passenger in a motor vehicle being driven along Broadway in Bridgwater dropped litter from the vehicle.

Information obtained from DVLA identified the driver and they were issued with a fixed penalty ticket requiring a payment of £150 reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days.

The driver failed to make that payment and Sedgemoor District Council issued a summons for recovery in the county court. The car owner subsequently admitted the claim and is now paying the fine.