news, local-news, hexham, drink, thrown, cyclist

The registered owner of a car linked to an aggravated littering incident in the Hunter has been fined $450 by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The October incident occurred on Maitland Road, Hexham when a passenger leaning out the window of a moving vehicle threw an ice filled drink cup at a cyclist. The projectile struck the cyclist in the head damaging both his helmet and glasses. The rider was able to keep his balance and stop safely. A video of the incident was recorded on the cyclist’s bike camera which was handed over to police. EPA director Hunter, Karen Marler, said this dangerous act had the potential to cause severe injury or kill the cyclist or other road users. “NSW Police are investigating this matter separately but the EPA issued a penalty notice to the registered owner of the vehicle for aggravated littering,” Ms Marler said. “Litter damages the environment. It can harm wildlife and marine life, injure people and make our surroundings more dangerous. “Managing litter is also expensive with more than $180 million spent every year on cleaning up NSW litter. This is money which could be better spent on other vital public services.” Penalty notices are one of a number of tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions. For more information about the EPA’s regulatory tools, see the EPA Compliance Policy at www.epa.nsw.gov.au/legislation/prosguid.htm

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