Taxi driver ordered to pay almost £1,000 for smoking in vehicle and littering

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A taxi driver from Newport has been prosecuted for smoking in her vehicle on a number of occasions and littering. Helen Elizabeth Jones had previously received fixed penalty notices in 2016 and 2018 for smoking in her taxi and littering. Jones failed to pay one of those FPN’s and was subsequently fined £220 plus costs. She was then seen by a senior council manager again smoking in her vehicle and then throwing the butt out the window in June of this year. It’s against the Health Act 2006 for anyone, including the driver, to smoke in a taxi and because of previous offences the decision was made on this occasion to proceed straight to a prosecution rather than issuing another fixed penalty notice. Added to the prosecution were two other occasions when community safety wardens witnessed her smoking in her taxi. In total, Miss Jones was prosecuted for three counts of smoking in a taxi and one of littering at Cwmbran Magistrates Court. Jones failed to attend her hearing and was found guilty in her absence of all offences. According to a report in the South Wales Argus, Jones was fined £200 for each smoking offence due to her persistent offending and blatant disregard for the law. In total she was ordered to pay a total of £980, including costs.

November 22, 2018 at 07:51PM https://ift.tt/2ufVjKI Michael Murphy THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT