A MAN has been fined by magistrates after dropping a cigarette end in Cross Hands Co-op car park.
Robert William Jones, aged 52, of Melyn Cwrt Farm, Heol Y Foel, Foelgastell, pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
He was fined £75 by Carmarthen magistrates and ordered to pay £60 prosecution costs as well as a £20 victim surcharge.
The court heard that he was seen committing the offence by council environmental enforcement officers on June 24 this year.
Jones told officers he had received a fixed penalty notice for a similar offence on a previous occasion. He was prosecuted in court as a result.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Dropping litter is against the law and this includes cigarette ends. In fact, cigarette ends are a big problem as they are difficult to clean up; they fall into cracks in the pavement and this also makes them very expensive to clean up too as they cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods.
“Hopefully this case will serve as a warning to others that anyone caught dropping cigarette ends will be fined.”
Figures show cigarette ends are the most common type of litter found on Carmarthenshire streets.
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