Man fined for dropping cigarette stub calls for more Burnley town centre bins

Kenny Thompson was given a £75 fixed penalty notice after dropping the litter in Colne Road, Burnley.

The 60-year-old has demanded the council introduce more bins in the town centre due to the amount of takeaway boxes lying in the streets.

Mr Thompson said: “I dropped my cigarette and was handed a fine notice.

“There’s lots of rubbish about and there’s not enough bins in the streets to cope with it all.

“There are pizza boxes and other takeaway rubbish everywhere on a weekend and there’s not enough bins for them.

“I couldn’t find a bin to put my cigarette stub in, if there was a bin, I would have used it.”

Burnley Council has teamed up with private contractor Kingdom Environmental Enforcement Services to tackle littering.

More than 550 people had been fined in the town for littering and failing to clean up their dogs in just four weeks.

Around £40,000 was collected in fines.

A council spokesman said the authority has received overwhelming support for their efforts to tackle littering.

He said: “We can confirm that we are aware that Mr Thompson has been issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75.

“Our records show that Mr Thompson has been in contact with our partners, Kingdom, to contest the fine.

“He has been given an extension to the June 26, if Mr Thompson fails to pay the fine by that date, the case will go to court.

“There are over 40 large litter bins in the town centre managed by Burnley Council. People should use these to dispose of waste, chewing gum or cigarette ends or hold onto their waste until they can dispose of it properly.

“We wish that we didn’t have to fine people for dropping litter - or for failing to pick up their dog mess.

“But, overwhelmingly, our residents want the town centre keeping tidy, and they want cleaner and safer neighbourhoods.

“We are clear that any enforcement work has to be fair and proportionate, and that it is only one of the methods available to change people’s behaviour.