A van driver who “lobbed” a banana skin out of his window and ignored a council’s £150 fine has been ordered to stump up a £500 penalty.

Sean McMahan, from Herne Bay, was due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday but failed to attend and was found guilty in his absence.

The court heard city council officers and police officers from the Rural Task Force were carrying out a joint operation into illegal waste carriers in Margate Road, Herne Bay, on May 10 when Mr McMahan was seen throwing the banana skin through the window.

The 26-year-old was stopped and a fixed penalty notice of £150 was issued to him for littering.

But no payment was made and the council wrote to him in August to offer a final chance to pay it. No contact was received and the case was passed to the council’s legal team to pursue in court.

Mr McMahan was fined £220 with a victim surcharge of £88 and council costs of £180, adding up to a total of £488 to be paid within 28 days.

Cabinet member for enforcement, Cllr Connie Nolan, said: “Many people enjoy a banana but they also make sure that when it’s finished, the skin is put in the bin, not lobbed out of the window of their vehicle. It’s just unacceptable behaviour.

“This case could have been sorted out quickly if Mr McMahan had paid the fine he deservedly received. Instead, it has gone all the way to court.

“A banana that cost only a few pence to start with has landed him with a fine of almost £500. I can’t imagine there will be many bananas more expensive than that.”

New fines for littering offences in the Canterbury district came into effect on January 1, prompting a strong backlash.

Under the new rules, fixed penalty notices have risen from £150 to £200, with an early payment reduction to £100 if paid within 14 days.

Fly-tipping fines also increased from £400 to £1,000, with reductions for prompt payments being removed.

In July, the government introduced new legislation which increased the maximum litter fine from £150 to £500, while hiking fly-tipping penalties from £400 to £1,000.

Several months later, Maidstone Borough Council bosses took advantage of the new rules, opting for the maximum fines in certain situations, making it the highest in Kent.

Most local authorities across Kent and Medway issue fines of between £100 and £150 for littering, but in Ashford and Dartford, litterbugs face a fixed penalty notice of just £75.