[Cyclefrance]

'Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' goes the government mantra.

Shame therefore about the following crackdown on the horrendous crime of bio-degradable litter offences, as reported today:

A student is facing court prosecution after he discarded the banana skin that some youths had thrown on to his car windscreen by pulling it off and dropping it in the road. The incident was spotted by the local litter warden and the student subsequently received a fixed penalty fine through the post for £30 for dropping litter. The youths were not apprehended. He claims he tried to contact the council to try to talk some sense into what seemed a ludicrous fine, but could not get through. He was then surprised to receive amonth later the summons to appear in court. He says he has better things to do than use up valuable time to appear in court about something so ridiculous. Meanwhile the court has adjourned the case in order to gather more facts.

His offence follows two other convictions widely reported this year - the first against a woman who dropped a crisp/potato chip from her car window - fined £75, and the second on a boy who dropped an apple core which he had been carrying in his coat pocket.

Good to see how wisely the councils can spend the local taxes they collect and how diligently they track down and prosecute such hardened criminals.

And the governemnt wonders why the electorate find it so difficult to take them seriously...