A LLANELLI woman has been fined £100 for dropping a cigarette end.
Kirsty Knight, aged 19, of Heol Tregoning in Morfa, was also ordered to pay £310.25 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge by Carmarthen magistrates.
She was convicted in absence for an offence contrary to Section 87 of The Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The court heard that on July 18 this year council environmental enforcement officers were on duty in the Morfa area when they saw the defendant throw a cigarette end onto the ground before entering a corner shop.
They waited for her to come out and then explained that she had committed a criminal offence by throwing litter and issued her with a fixed penalty notice for £75.
However, no payment was received and she was prosecuted in court as a result.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Cigarette ends are not only unsightly but they get trapped in cracks in the pavement which makes them very difficult and costly to clean up.
“We have a zero tolerance for litter in Carmarthenshire and anyone caught dropping any type of rubbish will be fined.”
Figures show cigarette ends are the most common type of litter found on county streets.
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