A SMOKER has been fined £50 for dropping a cigarette butt in Wickford High Street.

The on-the-spot fine was handed out by an environmental enforcement officer, employed by Basildon Council, outside the 99p Store at 3pm yesterday.

This provoked a heated argument also involving a passing PCSO.

Malcolm Buckley, Tory councillor responsible for the environment, was unrepentant about the fines, introduced for people caught discarding cigarettes and other litter in a public place two years ago.

Mr Buckley said: “We’re trying to keep the streets clean for the vast majority. If a few people can’t clean up their own mess, they should expect to be fined.

“The amount people are made to pay for dumping cigarettes needs to be high enough to act as a deterrent, so I think £50 is about right.

“We know we don’t have the resources to get everyone, but that certainly doesn’t mean the people we catch should be let off.”

He warned residents who fail to pay the fines are hauled before the courts.

In April last year, two people had fines for dropping cigarettes in Basildon town centre increased to £265.

This was because they failed to pay the initial charge, then did not turn up for hearings when their cases were brought before Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

Basildon Council has handed out more than 70 fines to people for dropping litter in a public place since 2009.

Mr Buckley said: “Cigarette butts are as bad as any other litter.

“There are parts of the borough which look really awful, because so many people drop their dog-ends. It’s the same with chewing gum, which we also fine people for spitting on to the pavement.”