AN Amman Valley woman has been fined £75 for dropping a cigarette end.

Council environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in the Heol Gelynen area of Upper Brynamman at the time of the offence.

She told the officers that she knew it was wrong to drop litter.

She was issued with a fixed penalty notice. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in court and a fine of up to £2,500.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said the council had a zero tolerance approach to littering.

In particular, smoking-related litter can be found on around 80% of Carmarthenshire streets.

Cllr Jones said: “Cigarette ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement and cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods.

“Hopefully this latest fine will help to raise awareness of the problem and deter people from dropping this type of litter.”

Enforcement officers carry out regular patrols across the county.