A Carmarthen woman who was caught littering for the second time has been ordered to pay a total of £280 by the magistrates court.
Stacey Leigh-Ann Howell, aged 20, of Dan Y Castell, Bridge Street, pleaded guilty by post to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.
The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.
The court heard that the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on duty on Friday, November 27 last year at the McDonalds overflow car park in Carmarthen when they saw a woman open the door of her car and leave a takeaway bag on the ground.
The officers approached her and explained that it was an offence to throw litter and that they were going to issue her with a fixed penalty notice of £75. They asked her if she had ever received a fixed penalty notice in the past and she said she had not.
However, records later showed that this was second time Howell had been caught littering and as a result a letter was sent explaining that as she had received a fixed penalty notice for littering in July 2008, this latest fine would be cancelled and she would be prosecuted through the magistrates court.
Howell was fined £80 by magistrates and ordered to pay £200 towards prosecution costs.
The council hopes this latest case will now act as a warning to would-be litterbugs in the county that if they flout the law they will be prosecuted.
Head of Street Scene David Hughes said: “Dropping litter is against the law, whether it is discarding rubbish from a vehicle, throwing cigarette ends or spitting out chewing gum.
“This will not be tolerated and the culprits will be punished. There is no excuse for littering our streets.”
