A DRIVER has been fined £100 after a passenger was spotted throwing rubbish from her car on the A12.

The Colchester resident was driving their Vauxhall Corsa southbound in the fast-lane of the A12 between Marks Tey and Feering on January 8.

A member of Braintree Council witnessed the front-seat passenger wind down the window, throw out a small piece of litter and close the window again.

The councillor reported the incident to Colchester Council who issued the vehicle owner with a Fixed Penalty Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The fine of £100 was paid on January 30.

Littering from a vehicle can land drivers with fines of this amount and if not paid within 14 days, £200.

The registered keeper of the vehicle is responsible for anyone committing a littering offence from inside the vehicle.

Martin Goss, councillor responsible for waste, environment and transport, said: "One of our key priorities is to keep our borough clean and an attractive place to live and visit.

“The vast majority of people work with us and dispose of their litter responsibly.

"However, if people insist on throwing their litter in the streets, or from vehicles, then we will act.

“The message is quite simple and ought to be clear - please take your litter home with you or dispose of it in a bin.

"It really isn’t worth the risk of being fined for throwing it in the street.”