SMOKING proved to be an expensive habit for Mehmet Erdem, who has been fined almost £1,000 for dropping a cigarette butt.

Erdem, of St Austell Way, dropped a cigarette on the ground in Bridge Street on June 10 and was ordered to recover it by a council enforcement officer.

But he refused to co-operate and claimed he was being unfairly targeted because he was foreign, and walked into a nearby betting shop.

Two police officers were called to apprehend Erdem, at which point he failed to provide his name and address when asked.

Phil Wirth, prosecuting, said: “Mr Erdem was seen by a council enforcement officer in Bridge Street dropping a cigarette butt.

“When approached by the officer he refused to co-operate and walked into a betting shop.

“Two police officers were called to assist, at which point Mr Erdem provided false information.

“Council officers do not have the power to detain people which is why the police were called.

“Mr Erdem said he was being unfairly treated because he was foreign.

“The prosecution asks for costs of £293 to be paid in bringing this matter to court, which includes the investigating officer and legal costs.”

Erdem failed to attend court when summonsed on Monday, with his brother passing on a message saying that he was out of the country and would be unable to attend.

The court fined him in his absence for all matters, including £200 for giving officers false details about his identity, a £400 fine for littering, and the full court costs asked for by the prosecution of £293.

The total fine and costs for Erdem for dropping the cigarette butt was £935.

Swindon Council said littering around the town centre, including dropping cigarettes, is being proactively enforced because of the significant costs of clean-up operations.

A council spokesman said: “We are being proactive in tackling litter in the town centre.

“We want to create a clean and welcoming environment for all our shoppers and visitors, particularly as the public realm has benefitted from significant investment in recent years.

“Street cleaning, which includes picking up litter, costs the council £1.6m a year across the borough.

“This prosecution shows that dropping cigarette butts or litter in general will not be tolerated in the borough.

“The offence was more serious because the offender refused to provide his name and address “And we hope it acts as a deterrent to those who may be tempted to do the same.”

Making smokers think about litter

MEHMET Erdum is the latest smoker to be prosecuted by Swindon Council for littering the town’s streets with cigarette butts, with the first recorded fines dating back to April 2010.

Lee Gillett, from Park South, and Jacqueline Watling, from Devizes, appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court for dropping a butt in the town centre and were each fined £80 and ordered to pay court costs.

The council currently employs three enviro-crime enforcement officers, like the one who caught Erdum in June, with two predominantly engaged in litter enforcement.

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of fines given out to people dropping litter in recent years.

Since 2011, the number of fines has gone up by more than 500 per cent and is expected to rise significantly again this year.

Three years ago there were just 26 fines given out across the whole of the borough but in 2013 that figure had risen to 134.

A Swindon Council spokesman said: “We decided to implement a proactive response to littering in the wake of millions of pounds being spent on improving the public realm in the town centre.
“As a result, the number of fixed penalty notices for littering has increased over the last few years.

“We have employed staff in high visibility clothing to approach people who have been seen to drop litter in an attempt to get them to think about their actions.”