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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Litterbug ordered to sweep street | Litterbug ordered to sweep street |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A man who threw chip wrappers out of his car window is spending the day sweeping the streets as punishment. | A man who threw chip wrappers out of his car window is spending the day sweeping the streets as punishment. |
| Gary Stevenson, 48, from Delph, Oldham, Greater Manchester, was caught dropping the wrapper by a litter enforcement officer in Derker in December. | Gary Stevenson, 48, from Delph, Oldham, Greater Manchester, was caught dropping the wrapper by a litter enforcement officer in Derker in December. |
| Oldham Council said he could either pay an £80 fine or spend a day cleaning up Oldham town centre. | Oldham Council said he could either pay an £80 fine or spend a day cleaning up Oldham town centre. |
| Mr Stevenson, the first person to opt to work rather than pay, said he was "daft" to drop the wrapper. | Mr Stevenson, the first person to opt to work rather than pay, said he was "daft" to drop the wrapper. |
| The father-of-two was working as a street cleaner on Wednesday as part of the "community reparation" scheme. | The father-of-two was working as a street cleaner on Wednesday as part of the "community reparation" scheme. |
| Mr Stevenson, who is an electronics engineer, said he did not normally drop litter. | Mr Stevenson, who is an electronics engineer, said he did not normally drop litter. |
| "I normally take sandwiches, but I didn't that day, I went to the chippy and I was daft," he said. | "I normally take sandwiches, but I didn't that day, I went to the chippy and I was daft," he said. |
| "I drove the car back to work and about an hour later somebody came into the office and said, I want a word with you, and he gave me a ticket." | "I drove the car back to work and about an hour later somebody came into the office and said, I want a word with you, and he gave me a ticket." |
| Dog fouling | Dog fouling |
| Despite having to don a high-vis jacket, he said he was in support of the scheme. | Despite having to don a high-vis jacket, he said he was in support of the scheme. |
| "I was wrong, I hold my hand up, and I'm trying to do the right thing now and encourage other people not to drop litter. | "I was wrong, I hold my hand up, and I'm trying to do the right thing now and encourage other people not to drop litter. |
| "It's better for me and it's better for the environment as well because I'm helping to clean up other people's mess." | "It's better for me and it's better for the environment as well because I'm helping to clean up other people's mess." |
| Oldham Council is the first in Greater Manchester to introduce the reparation scheme, which was brought in in November. | |
| It also applies to people who have sprayed graffiti or allowed their dogs to foul the streets. | It also applies to people who have sprayed graffiti or allowed their dogs to foul the streets. |
| John Rice, from the council, said: "Time and time again surveys show that littering in all its forms is one of the main areas of concern with local residents. | John Rice, from the council, said: "Time and time again surveys show that littering in all its forms is one of the main areas of concern with local residents. |
| "The scheme is an excellent way for people to discharge their penalty by keeping the borough tidy, and I would hope it will give them an idea of the amount of time and resources the council has to spend dealing with litter." | "The scheme is an excellent way for people to discharge their penalty by keeping the borough tidy, and I would hope it will give them an idea of the amount of time and resources the council has to spend dealing with litter." |