TWO men have been taken to court by Cheshire East Council and fined after being found guilty of dropping litter in the town centre.

A statement by Cheshire East Council said its ‘get tough’ approach to littering and fly-tipping has resulted in further successful prosecutions with fines and costs totalling £1,570 for two offenders.

Dr James Carey, 63, of Goulden Street, Crewe, was fined £80 with costs of £930 for dropping a cigarette in Earle Street in Crewe.  He was also ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge.

Carey admitted dropping the cigarette but denied leaving it.  He pleaded not guilty to the offence of littering but was convicted after a two-hour trial.

In a separate prosecution, previously convicted fly-tipper Oliver Bailey, 20, of Ruskin Road, Crewe, was convicted of two offences, for dropping and leaving cigarettes in Market Street, and at Grand Junction Retail Park, both in Crewe, in December 2016.

Bailey pleaded guilty by post and was fined £185 for each offence, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £130 and a victim surcharge of £30, leaving him with a total of £530 to pay.

The two cases came before Crewe Magistrates on June 14 and 15.

Cheshire East Council began its ‘Keep Crewe Clean’ campaign in September, employing a team of enforcement officers to prosecute incidents of fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling.

Cllr Paul Bates, cabinet member for finance and communities, said: “These court prosecutions reinforce our message that littering of any description will be dealt with robustly as we take steps to clean up Crewe, where many responsible residents have asked us to take tough action.

“While our actions may be unpopular and costly for some, we know that our tough stance is applauded and welcomed by the majority.”