Four people fined for dropping cigarette ends on street

FOUR people have been fined £75 for dropping cigarette ends on the street in Cross Hands.

The women, aged 19, 24, 27 and 40, were caught throwing the litter in Woodlands Terrace and Pontardulais Road.

The council’s environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in the area following complaints about the amount of cigarette ends being thrown on to the streets.

Failure to pay the fixed penalty notices could result in prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of up to £2,500.

It follows a council campaign to highlight the problem of smoking-related litter and encourage people to put their cigarette butts in the bin.

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “We do not want to fine people, but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. They make an area look unsightly and they are difficult and very expensive to clean up – the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning.”

Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with 83 per cent of litter found on the county’s streets smoking-related. Enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols across the county.

Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Philip Hughes said: “Hopefully these fines will help to raise awareness of this type of litter. The council is determined to improve the quality of the environment in Carmarthenshire for both residents and visitors.”