Dropping wrapper and foil from cigarette packet costs litterbug nearly Â£400

File photo dated 18/04/08 of cigarettes, as Chancellor Phillip Hammond will deliver his budget later today. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday November 22, 2017. See PA BUDGET stories. Photo credit should read: David Jones/PA Wire BUDGET_Main_070914.JPG

Mr Adtham Zia Ali of Hurst Grove, Bedford, was issued a fixed penalty notice as part of Bedford Borough Council’s zero tolerance approach to littering, after dropping a wrapper and foil from a cigarette packet,

Mr Ali failed to pay the fine, with the case was referred to the courts.

Mr Ali was found guilty of littering in his absence, and was ordered to pay £427.70, including a fine of £100, costs and a victim surcharge.

Councillor Charles Royden, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “We take a proactive approach to tackling this offence, with officers authorised to issue fixed penalty notices when they see someone littering.

“We have issued over 250 fines for littering in 2017 alone, and we will keep working to enforce against this alongside a wide range of enviro-crimes.”