Fined £75 for cigarette litter
A woman has been fined £75 for dropping a cigarette end in McDonalds car park in Carmarthen.
The council’s environmental enforcement officers issued the fixed penalty notice to the 21-year-old from Carmarthen. Failure to pay could result in prosecution in the magistrates court where the maximum fine is £2,500.
It follows a county-wide campaign to raise awareness of smoking-related litter. Discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with visible evidence of smoking-related litter found on 83 per cent of the streets.
Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “We do not want to fine people, but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. They make an area look unsightly and they are difficult and very expensive to clean up - the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning.”
Enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols across the county.
Executive Board Member for the Environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “Hopefully this fine will act as a warning to others that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. The council is determined to improve the quality of the environment in Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors.”
The council’s environmental enforcement officers issued the fixed penalty notice to the 21-year-old from Carmarthen. Failure to pay could result in prosecution in the magistrates court where the maximum fine is £2,500.
It follows a county-wide campaign to raise awareness of smoking-related litter. Discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with visible evidence of smoking-related litter found on 83 per cent of the streets.
Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “We do not want to fine people, but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. They make an area look unsightly and they are difficult and very expensive to clean up - the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning.”
Enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols across the county.
Executive Board Member for the Environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “Hopefully this fine will act as a warning to others that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. The council is determined to improve the quality of the environment in Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors.”
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