Man fined for cigarette litter

A man has been fined £350 and ordered to pay court costs of £264.71 after dropping a cigarette end in Ffairfach, Llandeilo.

James Edward Guess was convicted in absence of an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Llanelli Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that on Tuesday, July 19 the council’s environmental enforcement officers were travelling in an unmarked vehicle along the A476 in the direction of Ffairfach, Llandeilo. On approaching the roundabout at Ffairfach, the officers saw four people smoking at Heol Cennen and saw one of the men flick his cigarette butt onto the road.

Guess, aged 25, of Gwernllwyn Close, Dowlais, Myrthyr Tydfil, was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75. However, he failed to pay it within the specified time and was prosecuted through the courts as a result.

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “There is no excuse for littering our streets. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. It makes an area look unsightly and is difficult and very expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning.

“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 with 83% of litter found on the county’s streets smoking-related.

The council hopes this case will act as a warning to others that those caught throwing litter will be prosecuted. It follows a campaign to raise awareness of smoking-related litter.