FIVE people who dropped litter in Stanley have been ordered to pay a combined total of £1,200 for offences spanning a six-month period.

Each defendant was charged with violating the Environmental Protection Act and fined £80, ordered to pay £130 in costs, as well as a £30 victim surcharge by magistrates sitting in Newton Aycliffe.

The defendants were: Dean Bowman, 29, of Tweed Terrace, Garry Doughty, 47, of South View, Tantobie, Sarah King, 39, of Dunn Street, Annfield Plain, Thomas Smurthwaite, 24, Durham Road and Peter Stone, 28, of Rogerley Terrace.

Ian Hoult, from Durham County Council, said: “We know that littering is a concern for residents across the county, and these latest prosecutions help demonstrate our continued commitment to cracking down on the problem.”