Two fined for cigarette litter in Carmarthen
Two people have been fined £75 for dropping litter in the Pensarn area in Carmarthen.
A 47-year-old man from Johnstown and 24-year-old woman from Blaenycoed were caught throwing cigarette ends onto the ground by the council’s environmental enforcement officers.
The officers were on patrol in the area at the time of the offences and issued fixed penalty notices.
If they don’t pay, they could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £2,500 by magistrates.
Smoking-related litter makes up the largest proportion of litter found on Carmarthenshire streets at 85%.
Cigarette ends are also one of the most difficult and costly types of litter to clean up, as it falls into grates and cracks in the pavement and cannot be removed by normal cleaning.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Hopefully, these fines will help to warn people that if they are caught dropping any type of litter, they too will be fined.
“Our enforcement officers carry put patrols all over the county seven-days-a-week and anyone caught dropping litter or not cleaning up after their dog can be issued with a fixed penalty notice or prosecuted in court. We don’t want to fine people, but it is the only way that we can send the message out that this type of anti-social behaviour will not to tolerated.”
Dropping litter is against the law, whether it is discarding rubbish from a vehicle, throwing cigarette ends or spitting out chewing gum.
“The council is determined to clean up Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors,” added Cllr Jones.
A 47-year-old man from Johnstown and 24-year-old woman from Blaenycoed were caught throwing cigarette ends onto the ground by the council’s environmental enforcement officers.
The officers were on patrol in the area at the time of the offences and issued fixed penalty notices.
If they don’t pay, they could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £2,500 by magistrates.
Smoking-related litter makes up the largest proportion of litter found on Carmarthenshire streets at 85%.
Cigarette ends are also one of the most difficult and costly types of litter to clean up, as it falls into grates and cracks in the pavement and cannot be removed by normal cleaning.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Hopefully, these fines will help to warn people that if they are caught dropping any type of litter, they too will be fined.
“Our enforcement officers carry put patrols all over the county seven-days-a-week and anyone caught dropping litter or not cleaning up after their dog can be issued with a fixed penalty notice or prosecuted in court. We don’t want to fine people, but it is the only way that we can send the message out that this type of anti-social behaviour will not to tolerated.”
Dropping litter is against the law, whether it is discarding rubbish from a vehicle, throwing cigarette ends or spitting out chewing gum.
“The council is determined to clean up Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors,” added Cllr Jones.
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