A CARMARTHEN man has been fined £200 by magistrates after he was caught dropping a cigarette in Llanelli.
Ben Peter Roderick, aged 59, of Delfryn, Pen y Morfa Lane, Carmarthen, was convicted in absence to an offence contrary to section 87 Environmental Protection Act 1987.
He was also ordered to pay £170 towards prosecution costs by Carmarthen magistrates as well as a £20 victim surcharge.
The court heard that on July 18 last year council environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in the Church Street area of Llanelli when they saw a man smoking outside Brookfield House. He threw the cigarette onto the ground before going into the building.
The officers followed him into the building and explained that he had committed an offence of dropping Roderick was issued with a fixed penalty notice, but he failed to pay it.
Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Cigarette ends make an area look untidy and are difficult and costly to clean up as they fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which means they cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods.
“Cigarette ends are also the most common type of litter found on Carmarthenshire streets. Anyone caught dropping a cigarette or any other type of litter will be fined.”
Figures show that around 83% of all litter found on the county’s streets is smoking-related.
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