Carmarthen cigarette litter man fined
A Carmarthen man has been fined £85 and ordered to pay court costs of £100 after dropping a cigarette.
Stephen Brown, aged 30, of Cae Gruig, was convicted in absence of the offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that on March 19 council environmental enforcement officers were on duty in the McDonalds car park when they saw a man throw a cigarette end out of a car.
The officers approached the man and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter.
He was cautioned and offered a fixed penalty notice of £75 for the offence or the option of going to court.
Brown said he wanted the matter to be dealt with in court.
It is now hoped this case will act as a warning to others that those caught breaking the law will be prosecuted.
Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire. An inspection by Keep Wales Tidy found that 83 per cent of the county’s streets had visible evidence of smoking-related litter.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Haydn Jones said: “There is no excuse for littering our streets. We want to raise awareness of this type of litter and encourage people to behave responsibly.
“Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but it is. It makes an area look unsightly and it is difficult and very expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement.
“The council is determined to clean up the county and punish those that break the law.”
Stephen Brown, aged 30, of Cae Gruig, was convicted in absence of the offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that on March 19 council environmental enforcement officers were on duty in the McDonalds car park when they saw a man throw a cigarette end out of a car.
The officers approached the man and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter.
He was cautioned and offered a fixed penalty notice of £75 for the offence or the option of going to court.
Brown said he wanted the matter to be dealt with in court.
It is now hoped this case will act as a warning to others that those caught breaking the law will be prosecuted.
Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire. An inspection by Keep Wales Tidy found that 83 per cent of the county’s streets had visible evidence of smoking-related litter.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Haydn Jones said: “There is no excuse for littering our streets. We want to raise awareness of this type of litter and encourage people to behave responsibly.
“Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but it is. It makes an area look unsightly and it is difficult and very expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement.
“The council is determined to clean up the county and punish those that break the law.”
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