Man on benefits fined £75 he ‘can’t afford’ for dropping cig by officers

Danny and Mick are litter enforcement officers and have one mission – to keep the streets of Barking and Dagenham as clean as they can.

The dedicated pair spare no effort when it comes to pulling people up for littering.

There daily grind is shown in this week's Grime and Punishment on Channel 5.

From a shop keeper spitting in the street to takeaway fans who don't dispose of their pizza boxes properly – no one is safe from the dedicated pair.

After pouncing on someone who has spat in the street, only for the culprit to pick up the grape seed that landed on the floor and pop it in the bin, the pair – who have made thousands in fines for their local council – are yet to land a fixed penalty notice.

Danny says: "If I'd done that my dad would give me a slap – don't spit, don't litter and just be a good person."

Next the pair find a pile of discarded takeaway pizza boxes.

Fines for dumping litter can be steep and what many people who carelessly throw away their used and empty pizza boxes don't realise is that they come with an easy identification method.

Mick says: "There is often a sticker on the box with the customer's address.

"People don't peel that off because they just don't think about it."

But whoever has ditched these boxes is one step ahead of the litter enforcers and they are label-free.

However, when Danny and Mick spot a man dumping his cigarette butt on the pavement, they are able to issue him with a fine.

Danny explains why he's handing the smoker a fixed penalty notice and is unmoved when the man tells him he claims Job Seekers Allowance and has no way of paying the £75 fine.

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