It was no laughing matter for one fly tipper caught on film dumping dozens of nitrous oxide cannisters. Mohammad Waqas Ali has been left nearly £700 out of pocket by magistrates.
He was filmed sat in his white Volkswagen Tiguan in a Salford street inhaling copious amounts of the chemical, known as "laughing gas" from a gold balloon. He was also recorded dropping and leaving the canisters in the street along with cardboard packaging, before driving away from the area on June 21st last year.
Ali, 28, of Hadfield Street, Broughton, was fined £115 and ordered to pay £540 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to contravening the Environmental Protection Act.
The council’s environmental crime team was notified of the footage and after visiting the site, ensured the litter was safely cleared the following morning. The team contacted Mr Ali’s mother for a formal interview after vehicle tracing determined she was the owner of the car.
Mr Ali then contacted the council to indicate he was the driver of the vehicle at the time of the offence and attended a recorded interview with the council under caution.
Speaking after the case, Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for the environment and community safety, issued a warning to residents on the use of nitrous oxide canisters, particularly around the dangers of inhaling it directly from the canister in an enclosed space.
Cllr Lancaster said: “There is never any excuse for littering and those who leave materials like this which pose a safety risk to the public should be utterly ashamed of themselves and expect a fine or fixed penalty notice.
“In this case, I would also like to remind all residents of the dangers in inhaling nitrous oxide or laughing gas, particularly if you inhale directly from the bottle and in an enclosed space. This can be incredibly dangerous as inhaling too much could lead to loss of consciousness, nerve damage and even suffocation.
“We know that use of these canisters is prevalent across our city and as such, it is important that all are aware of the risks involved with using them.”
The free drugs advice service Talk To Frank has the following information and advice on the use of nitrous oxide here: https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nitrous-oxide
