Smokers face £50 fines

Enforcement officers in Lewes district may before long be in a position to issue fixed penalty 50 fines.

The Government recently increased the definition of litter to include cigarette butts and chewing gum.

A Lewes District Council spokesman said a softly-softly approach would be adopted towards the end of the summer.

'We will let people know that we will probably only use the fixed penalty notice powers as a last resort,' the spokesman added.

'We also need to consider where there are particular hotspots where groups of people congregate and smoke, such as stations and car parks, and then look to the possibility of installing more bins for both cigarette ends and chewing gum, as well as trying to persuade people to be responsible and not litter.'

A spokesman for ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) said: 'Dropping butts is anti-social, just like any other form of littering.'

But a spokesman for FOREST (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco) said: 'It is another way of victimising smokers.

'We accept it is a form of litter but authorities are not providing cigarette bins in sufficient quantities.

'Smokers should not be forced to give up because of the littering issue.'

Lewes Independent councillor Ruth O'Keeffe said: 'If someone drops a cigarette butt and, when asked to pick it up, refuses to do so and is rude, then I think they should get an on the spot fine.'