A Carmarthenshire man has been ordered to pay £140 for dropping a cigarette end.

Richard Anthony Morgan May of Porth Y Castell in Kidwelly, pleaded guilty by post to dropping his fag-butt at Trostre in Llanelli.

Carmarthen Magistrates Court heard that Carmarthenshire County Council environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in the B&Q car park when they saw the 22-year-old drop his cigarette on the floor before driving off to nearby Pets at Home.

When approached May confirmed he had thrown his cigarette out of the car window.

He was issued with a fixed penalty notice and warned that failure to pay could lead to prosecution in court.

No payment had been received despite a reminder letter being sent.

Figures show that around 83% of all litter found on the county’s streets is smoking-related.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Councillor Jim Jones said: “Dropping litter is against the law and dropping a cigarette end is no different from throwing away any other sort of litter.

“Cigarette ends make an area look untidy and they are difficult and costly to clean up as they fall into grates and cracks in the pavement.”

Council officers clear around 40 tonnes of litter every week from the streets of Carmarthenshire at a cost of more than £2 million a year.