Llanelli man fined by magistrates for dropping litter

A LLANELLI man has been fined by magistrates for dropping litter in the town centre.

Andrej Giszczak, aged 57, of Ty Stafford, was found guilty in absence to an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by Carmarthen magistrates.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that on Saturday, July 23 council environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in Stepney Street in Llanelli town centre when they saw a man drop a cigarette end onto the ground and walk off.

He was approached by the officers who explained what they saw and that he had committed an offence.

Giszczak was issued with a fixed penalty notice but failed to pay it within the specified time and was prosecuted in court as a result.

He was fined £75 by magistrates and ordered to pay £220.30 prosecution costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said he hoped this case would now act as a warning to others.

Research carried out by Keep Wales Tidy found that 83% of litter found on streets in Carmarthenshire is smoking-related.

He said: “Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter but they are. They are also very difficult and expensive to clean up as they fall into grates and cracks in the pavement and cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods.

“Hopefully this case will make people think twice before dropping litter in the future. The council is determined to clean up Carmarthenshire and our enforcement officers carry out regular patrols across the county.”