A Bristol man who says he has never smoked has ended up with a criminal conviction after failing to pay a littering fine he knew nothing about.
Lucas Harbourd, 49, was issued a penalty for allegedly dropping a cigarette butt in Bristol city centre in December 2024.
He only became aware of the fine in July, when a court letter arrived ordering him to cough up more than £450 of his hard-earned cash.
The 49-year-old had been unaware of the penalty for 18 months because correspondence had been sent to an incorrect address.
On July 16, he finally received a court letter telling him he owed £458 – and that he faced potential bailiff action or imprisonment if he failed to pay.
The debt followed a hearing at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on May 7, which took place without his knowledge.
After he contested the penalty, 3GS, the private firm contracted to issue fines on the council’s behalf, admitted the wrong person had been fined.
The firm acknowledged the error was a case of mistaken identity and issued an apology.
3GS stated it would apply to have the case reopened and withdrawn “due to the case of false identity”.
Despite this acknowledgement of mistaken identity, Mr Harbourd said the criminal conviction still stands on his record.
He now faces the task of having it formally overturned.
“This has gone from a FPN for throwing a cigarette butt down – I’ve never touched a cigarette in my life – to getting a criminal conviction without even knowing,” he said.
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Mr Harbourd warned the conviction could harm his “livelihood going forward” by affecting Disclosure and Barring Service checks needed for his work contracts.
He argued the episode exposed a complete absence of proper checks, and questioned how many other people may have been wrongly fined.
“I think the process is for profit, not for justice – it won’t actually solve the issue of littering, and now the justice system is being overburdened,” he said.
3GS officers have the power to fine individuals for a range of infractions, including littering, graffiti, fly-tipping, failing to clean up dog mess, and consuming alcohol in prohibited areas.
The council has relied on 3GS to carry out environmental enforcement since 2019.
On average, the firm hands out around 450 fixed penalty notices each month across Bristol.
Data covering the period from 2023 to 2025 revealed that an overwhelming 97 per of all penalties issued were related to littering.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has previously found that cigarette butts accounted for the vast majority of those littering fines, with each one carrying a £175 charge.
GB News has approached Bristol City Council and 3GS for comment.
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