Stop ‘smokers’ persecution’

A FORMER cabinet member with responsibility for tackling fly-tipping has attacked the council for ‘persecuting’ smokers after figures revealed 9,642 people had been fined for dropping cigarette ends and just 411 for dumping food and other waste items.

Coun Les Gilbert (Dane Valley: Con) said he had first suggested bringing in the private sector [Kingdom has the enforcement contract] to crack down on littering and fly-tipping.

But at a meeting of the corporate overview and scrutiny committee he described Cheshire East’s focus as ‘misguided’.

“The object was to address the fundamental issues including littering, not to persecute smokers and not, principally, to generate an income stream for the council,” said the Conservative councillor. “I, personally, do not believe that cigarette ends constitute the eyesore that all the other sorts of litter do.”

Coun Brian Roberts (Crewe: Lab) agreed.

“Kingdom officers are chasing people around the town, following them to get that level of fag end fines,” said Coun Roberts.

“We have instances of these guys following people into the job centre, into other places, into supermarkets and chasing them because they’ve dropped a fag end.

“This is totally out of proportion. If we are to clean up our town then crisp packets, coffee cups, cans etc have a much bigger impact than cigarette ends.”

Coun Janet Clowes, the cabinet member who currently has responsibility for tackling the problem, defended the policy of fining smokers and disputed the allegations made against the enforcement officers. By its very nature a lot of littering offences are not easily observable.

“If you are smoking a cigarette, that takes some time so it’s easy to observe someone doing it and making a conscious decision very often to throw it on the floor”.