Driver fined £400 for throwing cigarette butt

The offender was given the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice for £400 or attend court

A motorist has been fined £400 after they were spotted throwing a cigarette butt on to the ground.

The driver was standing next to their car at Whittlesford Service Station in Cambridgeshire when the offence happened.

They were seen by a South Cambridgeshire District Council officer who gave them the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice for £400 or attend court for the offence.

Liberal Democrat councillor Natalie Warren Green said the discarded cigarette butt "presented a clear fire hazard". She added: "Cigarette butts might be small, but their impact is huge."

In 2019, a study by Anglia Ruskin University concluded that cigarette butts found in soil reduced plant growth.

Most cigarette butts contain filters made of cellulose acetate fibre, which is a type of bioplastic.

These can take years, if not decades, to break down, according to scientists.

Ms Warren Green, lead cabinet member for environmental services and waste for the council, said: "They pollute our streets, harm wildlife, and make our district look uncared for.

"Tossing cigarette butts on the ground is like saying you don't care about our community, and in this case, at a service station.

"As a council, we are sending a clear message to respect our shared spaces and dispose of waste properly."