IGNORE AND IT WILL GO AWAY..........NOT

I have blogged previously at some length on the results of ignoring police or court requests to submit information eg requests to plead guilty or not guilty to eg (relatively) minor motoring offences or information regarding income or a driver`s identity.  Such failures cost individuals time and money and escalate the cost to the state of completion of  outstanding cases.  When such dilatory inaction is with regard to environmental offences and heaven knows how these have increased in their scope and punishments over the last decade the resulting retribution to the offender can and usually should be such that a hard lesson is learnt. Such was a matter recently.  The owner of an establishment which offered food and drink to customers whilst they enjoyed the dubious pleasures of smoking shisha pipes had   ignored all the overtures from the council environmental officers who had almost pleaded with him to comply with the legal requirements for such businesses on the basis that post compliance he would have had only a fixed penalty notice to pay and no further legal action would be taken against him.  For  reasons only the offender can explain not only did he fail to take the council officers` advice he did not turn up at court to argue his not guilty  plea.  He will shortly receive notice that he has 28 days to pay fines and costs well into five figures.