Stubbing out cigarette litter

A woman has been fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £215 after she was caught dropping her cigarette butt in the town centre.

Robyn Lewis, of Knowsley Street, Rochdale (19) was handed the fine at a hearing at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates’ Court.

Ms Lewis was taken to court after she failed to pay a fixed penalty notice handed to her by Rochdale Borough Council enforcement officers when they spotted her dropping the cigarette in Yorkshire Street on 19 October last year.

Mark Widdup, Service Director for Operational Services at the council, said: “Littering makes our streets look unsightly and spoils the environment for everyone. There really is no excuse for it when millions of pounds are being spent to regenerate this borough and make it a more attractive place to live.

“Corporate enforcement officers, who carry out daily patrols throughout the borough, will not hesitate to issue fixed penalty notices to those people who do not dispose of their litter responsibly.”