Woman fined for throwing cigarette end on ground
A WOMAN has been fined by the courts for throwing a cigarette end on to the ground in Cross Hands.
Julie Miodrag, aged 45, was convicted in her absence to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that on Tuesday, November 2 the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on duty in the McDonalds car park in Cross Hands when they saw a woman throw a cigarette end onto the ground.
They approached the woman and explained what they had seen and that it was an offence to throw litter. She was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75, however she failed to pay it and as a result was prosecuted through the magistrates court.
Miodrag, of St John Street, Telford, was fined £75 by magistrates and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 as well a £15 victim surcharge.
It is now hoped this case will act as a warning to others that those caught throwing litter will be prosecuted.
Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire. An inspection by Keep Wales Tidy found that 83 per cent of the county’s streets had visible evidence of smoking-related litter.
Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “There is no excuse for littering our streets. We want to raise awareness of this type of litter and encourage people to behave responsibly.
“Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but it is. It makes an area look unsightly and it is difficult and very expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement.
“We do not want to fine people, but we are determined to clean up the county and have no choice but to punish those that break the law in this way.â€
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