Dropping litter has cost two teenagers a total of £325 each.
19-year-old Adam Stephen Evans of Walters Road, Llanelli, and Shaun Smith, 17, of Grennig Road, Glanaman both pleaded guilty to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court in a prosecution brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that council environmental enforcement officers were on duty in Ammanford town centre on Thursday, October 1, 2009 when they saw a group of men sitting on the ground outside the former Woolworths store eating and drinking. When they left they discarded a number of items of litter on the ground.
The officers approached the group and three of them admitted leaving the litter. The officers explained that they would be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75 for littering and as they started to take down their details, two of the males ran off. The officers gave chase but the pair fled the area.
Approximately an hour later the officers caught up with one of the males and his details were recorded. Further enquiries revealed the identity of the second male.
Evans and Smith were each fined £125 by magistrates and ordered to pay £200 each towards prosecution costs.
Carmarthenshire County Council says the prosecutions show its determination to clean up the county and prosecute those that break the law.
Head of Street Scene David Hughes said: “There is no excuse for littering our streets, there are a number of bins in all of the town centres, however, if there are no bins immediately available then keep your rubbish with you until you are near one.
“I hope this latest court case will act as a warning to others that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and the culprits will be punished.”
