• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Man Fined £150 For Dropping Cigarette Butt Says Smokers Are Being Unfairly Targeted

Home> News

Published 18:33 12 May 2022 GMT+1

Man Fined £150 For Dropping Cigarette Butt Says Smokers Are Being Unfairly Targeted

A man from Faversham was fined a ridiculous amount for dropping a cigarette butt.

Shola Lee

Shola Lee

Giles Kelch, from Faversham, was left up in arms after he was charged a ridiculous amount for dropping a cigarette butt.

Whether you smoke like a chimney or you can't stand the smell, £150 for dropping a cigarette butt seems a bit steep.

Still, that's what one IT worker was charged when he was spotted dropping a stub on the ground in the Swale borough.

Advert

Giles Kelch was fined a ridiculous amount for dropping his cigarette butt.
SWNS

Kelch was fined by an enforcement officer on behalf of Swale Borough Council on 29 March.

And the local resident wasn't happy at all, calling the fine 'unethical' and saying that there weren't even enough bins in his area - a fact we can empathise with.

"How can you possibly charge £150 for dropping a cigarette butt, which was subsequently picked up and put in a bin?

“It has hardly ruined the whole of Swale. They are doing this in 2022, with costs and energy prices rising.

Advert

“I told them where we live fly-tipping is everywhere, and it gets complained about all the time, but they still don’t stick the resources there."

The fine for dropping a cigarette butt in Swale is £150.
SWNS

The council's response didn't help either, with Kelch adding: “Their take was if you’re walking around and there are no bins, you wait until you get home and stick it in the bin.

“There are only bins in the town centre, but once you come out of it, there is nothing.”

The bins were just the tip of the iceberg, though, as Kelch claims there are barely any signs deterring people from littering.

Advert

“I said there are no signs stating if you do it, you’ll be fined, and I think that is unethical in the extreme.

“I don’t see how you can charge people who are unaware it will be enforced, if you don’t put any signs up? If you go to a car park and you don’t pay, you know you will be charged."

Remember to pick up your cigarette butts or you could face a hefty fine.
Alamy

And, to be fair to the man, he might have a point, as in 2021, 90% of the fines issued by Swale were for discarded cigarette stubs, which amounted to £97,000 for the council.

While that seems pretty steep, a spokesperson for the authority said that it spends more than £1 million every year cleaning the borough.

Advert

The spokesperson noted: "Not only do cigarette butts look unsightly but they contain single use plastics and toxic chemicals that can persist in the environment for many years.

“Littering of any kind can receive a fixed penalty notice of £150, and that includes cigarette butts."

So, basically, if you don't want to receive a ridiculous fine, don't smoke in Swale.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: News, Health

Shola Lee
Shola Lee

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Why ‘suicide pod’ was banned as man who was only person present at first death takes his own life
  • People are all asking the same thing after watching man get enormous tumour removed
  • Man suspected of killing Tupac breaks silence for first time since being arrested
  • Man asks heartbreaking questions after being 'imprisoned by stepmum for 20 years' in shocking case

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    World's 'first flying car' is going on sale much sooner than you think

    Flying cars are still something for the future, but apparently the rapidly approaching future

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Experts issued warning over certain tattoo colour that could increase risk of deadly disease

    There can be some long-term health risks to going under the tattoo needle

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Man who didn't sleep for a record 264 hours suffered from horrendous and potentially deadly side effects

    He smashed the record but suffered dangerous side effects in the process

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    The targets Iran could strike as it issues chilling threat to UK amid ongoing conflict

    The world isn't feeling particularly safe right now

    News