Two drivers who dropped cigarette ends out their car window are fined £400 each

Motorists who throw cigarette ends out of car windows are being warned to stop littering after two people were fined £400 each.

The pair were witnessed by an officer from South Cambridgeshire District Council flicking their cigarette ends out of their car window.

One of the motorists was driving along the A10 Ely Road and the other was driving on Cambridge Road, Fulbourn. The incidents happened on separate dates.

Both offenders were given the opportunity to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) rather than attend court for the offence. 

Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, said: “Cigarette butts are made of plastic and do not biodegrade. They can contain a combination of chemicals including formaldehyde, nicotine, arsenic, lead and copper. Every cigarette butt tossed to the ground is a tiny toxin that poisons our environment. These small acts of negligence accumulate, harming wildlife, polluting waterways, and littering our local communities. Please discard of cigarette butts responsibly.”

Figures from Keep Britain Tidy show cigarette butts make up two thirds of all littered items, with nearly three million cigarette butts thrown as litter in the UK every day.

Littering is an offence under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and if convicted in a magistrate’s court carries a fine up to £2,500. 

Latest studies and evidence from UK Government show that smoking related litter costs UK local authorities approximately £40 million per year to deal with.