Smokers urged to bin their butts
Environmental enforcement officers Vince Ravetta, Lee Madden and Julie Metcalfe.
LANCASTER City Council is offering smokers one of two extra special gifts this Christmas – a free portable ashtray or an £80 fixed penalty notice.
Cigarette butts are among the most littered items and the council spends thousands of pounds every year cleaning them up.
To crack down on the problem council officers are stepping up patrols of areas outside the district’s pubs and clubs on the run up to Christmas.
Anyone caught throwing their butts on the street will be handed an £80 fine.
As an incentive to encourage smokers to act responsibly the council is giving away free portable ashtrays.
They are available from the customer services at Lancaster and Morecambe town halls and allow smokers to keep their butts safe until they find a bin to dispose of them.
Coun Jon Barry, Cabinet member for the environment, said: “We all want to live in a district that is free from litter and the council provides plenty of bins for people to dispose of their rubbish properly.
“We would rather not have to fine people but if this is the course that we have to take to keep our district litter free then it’s one we’re willing to take.”
Date Published: 02/12/09