A judge warned at Ballinasloe District Court when he imposed a €300 fine on a woman who had been detected littering the community with her household waste, that the fine could have been much higher – in fact as high as €4,000.
Judge James Faughnan issued his warning after he heard how the defendant had dumped four shopping bags of rubbish in a public place and was detected by Co Council Community Wardens.
The Judge expressed surprise when he was told that the Co Council was not seeking costs for bringing the prosecutions. Usually such costs are added to any fines imposed after a conviction. “The Co Council should always look for their costs in such cases,” he said.
The Court was informed that the defendant had been issued with a fixed charge notice when the waste had been traced back to her but she had failed to pay this and so the prosecution was brought before the Court.
A solicitor for the Council stated that matters had been “somewhat rectified” as far as regularising the woman’s waste disposal arrangements were concerned.
Imposing a fine of €300, Judge Faughnan warned that he could go as high as €4,000 if there was any reoccurrence.
