Iris Potter, who runs The New Shop, Jutland Road, Hartlepool, was slapped with the fine after being spotted dumping her cigarette by a council inspector.



The 57-year-old does not dispute the fact she had disposed of her cigarette incorrectly, but says she always sweeps up outside her shop at the end of each day and feels the size of the fine is unfair.

A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesman said a hard-line was being taken on cigarette litter after the smoking ban, introduced last summer, saw more butts dropped in the streets.

Mrs Potter, of Owton Manor Lane, said: "It simply isn't fair. I wouldn't have minded a warning but to be given a big fine immediately seems unjust.

"You should have seen the state of the street on the day, it was filthy with much bigger things than a cigarette butt.

"I try and keep my shop and the path outside clear. And everyday I sweep up any rubbish, including my cigarette ends."

The £75 fine is reduced to £50 if paid within seven days, but Mrs Potter appealed against her fine –which was rejected – and in that time the seven days expired.

A council spokesman said: "The council takes a firm stance against anyone littering the streets. It's simply unacceptable to use the streets of Hartlepool as a litter bin.

"Since the smoking ban in pubs and clubs came in last summer, councils throughout the country and having to battle against an increase in cigarette litter. We are doing everything we can to help people."

He added that the council have issued 7,000 portable ashtrays, a small container that seals in butts, and many litter bins are adapted for cigarettes.