Four fined for cigarette ends
Four more people have been fined for dropping cigarette ends in Carmarthen town centre.
They were caught by the council’s environmental enforcement officers who were carrying out targeted patrols in the town
Fixed penalty notices for £75 were issued by the officers all within an hour of each other. Failure to pay however could result in prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of up to £2,500.
It follows a council campaign to raise highlight the problem of smoking-related litter and encourage people to put their cigarette butts in the bin.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “The council has received a number of complaints about smoking-related litter in the town centre. Many people do not think that it is 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.
“Only last week we issued 19 fixed penalty notices to people in both Carmarthen and Llanelli for dropping cigarette ends. 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.”
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.
They were caught by the council’s environmental enforcement officers who were carrying out targeted patrols in the town
Fixed penalty notices for £75 were issued by the officers all within an hour of each other. Failure to pay however could result in prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of up to £2,500.
It follows a council campaign to raise highlight the problem of smoking-related litter and encourage people to put their cigarette butts in the bin.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “The council has received a number of complaints about smoking-related litter in the town centre. Many people do not think that it is 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.
“Only last week we issued 19 fixed penalty notices to people in both Carmarthen and Llanelli for dropping cigarette ends. 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.”
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.
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