Llanelli woman's cigarette litter offence

A Llanelli woman has been ordered to pay more than £400 for throwing a cigarette end out of a car window.
Angela Walters, aged 50, of Langland Road, Llanelli, was convicted in her absence of an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that on May 22 this year the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on duty in Parc Trostre. They were parked in the car park adjacent to B&Q when they saw a cigarette end thrown out of a car window.
The officers approached the vehicle and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter.
The woman was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75, however, she failed to pay it within the specified time and as a result was prosecuted in court.
Walters was fined £175 by magistrates and ordered to pay £232 towards prosecution costs as well as a £15 victim surcharge.
This follows a council campaign to highlight the problem of smoking-related litter and encourage people to put their cigarette butts in the bin.
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.
It is now hoped this case will act as a warning to others that those caught littering will be prosecuted.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “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.
“Hopefully these fines will act as a warning to others that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. We do not want to fine people but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way.”