£400 fines for motorists who flicked cigarettes from car windows in South Cambridgeshire

Two people have been fined £400 each after throwing cigarette butts out of their car windows.

They were witnessed by an officer from South Cambridgeshire District Council.

One of the motorists was driving along the A10 Ely Road while on another date the other was driving on Cambridge Road, Fulbourn.

Both offenders were given the opportunity to pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) rather than attend court for the offence.

Cllr Natalie Warren-Green, lead cabinet member for environmental services and waste, said: “Cigarette butts are made of plastic and do not biodegrade. They can contain a combination of chemicals including formaldehyde, nicotine, arsenic, lead and copper. Every cigarette butt tossed to the ground is a tiny toxin that poisons our environment.

“These small acts of negligence accumulate, harming wildlife, polluting waterways, and littering our local communities. Please discard of cigarette butts responsibly.”

Keep Britain Tidy says cigarette butts make up two thirds of all littered items, with nearly three million cigarette butts thrown as litter in the UK every day.

Littering is an offence under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

If convicted in a magistrates’ court, an offender can be fined up to £2,500.

Government figures suggest smoking-related litter costs local authorities about £40million per year.