Carmarthen man fined for cigarette litter
A Carmarthen man has been fined by the courts for dropping a cigarette end in the town centre.
Anthony Mark Davies, aged 34, of Parc Bagnell, was convicted in his absence of an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in Carmarthen town centre when they saw a man throw down a cigarette end onto the ground near Debenhams in St Catherine’s Walk.
The officers approached the man and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter. Davies said that there were no bins in the area, however, there were two bins nearby which the officers pointed out.
He was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75, however he failed to pay it and as a result was prosecuted through the magistrates court.
Davies was fined £175 and ordered to pay £100 towards prosecution costs.
The council’s executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes 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.”
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 found on 83 per cent of streets.
Anthony Mark Davies, aged 34, of Parc Bagnell, was convicted in his absence of an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in Carmarthen town centre when they saw a man throw down a cigarette end onto the ground near Debenhams in St Catherine’s Walk.
The officers approached the man and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter. Davies said that there were no bins in the area, however, there were two bins nearby which the officers pointed out.
He was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75, however he failed to pay it and as a result was prosecuted through the magistrates court.
Davies was fined £175 and ordered to pay £100 towards prosecution costs.
The council’s executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes 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.”
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 found on 83 per cent of streets.
Comments