Cigarette thrown on floor

A Kidwelly man has been fined £600 for throwing a cigarette onto the floor in Llanelli.

Dean Ward, aged 30, of Maes y Wern, Carway, Kidwelly, was convicted at Carmarthen Magistrates Court in his absence of an offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £60.

The court was told that environmental enforcement officers were on duty in Vaughan Street, Llanelli, on Wednesday February 26 when at about 11.20am they saw Ward standing outside the British Heart Foundation shop smoking a cigarette. They saw him finish the cigarette and throw the end on the floor before walking away.

When they approached him and asked if he knew why he had been stopped he said ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it, you haven’t got anything better to do’, the court heard.

He was given a Fixed Penalty Notice for £75 and when he did not pay this he was prosecuted.

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