Dropped cigarette end cost driver £220

Sharon McBride, of Loftos Avenue, Marton, was caught dropping the cigarette by council officers in March.

She was hauled before magistrates after failing to pay the £80 fine for dropping litter.

The £220 cost comprised a £100 fine, £100 court costs and £20 victims’ surcharge.

Council officers spotted McBride throwing her cigarette end out of her car window at the junction of Church Street and Whitegate Drive in Blackpool, before following the car to issue her with the fixed penalty notice.

The fine is the latest in a crackdown by the authority on people who drop litter.

Coun Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Dropping litter is my absolute pet hate.

“It’s completely unacceptable, whether that is leaving a crisp packet on the floor or flicking a cigarette out of your car window.

“If we spot anybody littering then we won’t hesitate to give them a fine. There are no excuses for littering as it not only makes the town look untidy but it also costs the taxpayer to clean it up.

“Our Keep Blackpool Tidy campaign is all about making Blackpool the cleanest seaside resort in the UK by 2020 and we need everybody to play their part in it being successful, by choosing to put their rubbish in a bin.

“Hopefully our recent prosecutions will make people think twice before they drop litter in the future.”

Between April 2015 and April 2016, Blackpool Council issued 81 fixed penalty notices for littering, while since April this year 25 have been issued so far.