Seven people fined total of £2,700 for dropping cigarette butts at Central Milton Keynes

The seven smokers were among those issued with penalty notices on January 4 and January 5 – the first two days that MK’s new ultra-zealous litter wardens started work.

But none of them paid the penalty fine of between £80 and £125 so they were prosecuted by Milton Keynes Council.

Their cases were heard at MK Magistrates Court last week – and all of them ended up paying dearly.

The first offender, a 52 year old man, was caught dropping a digarette end on the ground outside HMV on Midsummer Boulevard. He was fined £125 and ordered to pay £161 costs to the council and a £34 victim services surcharge. This was a total of £320.

The second culprit a 49-year-old man who dropped a butt at Queens Court Gate, was punished with an identical amount. The court ordered an amount will be deducted from his benefits.

The other five smokers were fined £220 apiece. They were also ordered to pay the £161 costs and £34 surcharge, leaving each of them £415 out of pocket.

All of their ‘crimes’ took place in Midsummer Boulevard or Avebury Boulevard, which seem to be favoured spots by the wardens.

All seven people pleaded guilty and their fines and penalties totaled a whopping £2,710.

MK Council launched the special enforcement officers on January 4 in a bid to keep city streets litter – and dog poo – free.

Wearing body cameras and dressed to smart black uniforms, the wardens have orders to look out for people dropping fast food wrappers, empty coffee cups, sweet papers, used face masks and any other form of litter.

Their task is also to watch dog owners and pounce on any they see failing to clear up after their dog has fouled.

By April, the new wardens had dished out 2,725 on-the-spot fines, according to a proud announcement by councillors. This equates to 38 fixed penalties per working day on average – 2.7 per working hour.

But only four of these fines concerned failing to pick up dog poo and the remainder were for litter - including many cigarette ends.

In June there was a social media outcry after an elderly man accidently dropped a sweet wrapper on the pavement in Bletchley while he was fumbling in his pocket for a tissue. Even though he picked it up, he was still issued with an £80 fine.

Another protestor claimed she was threatened with a penalty after her cigarette butt fell off a litter bin because it was over full.

She picked it back up and put back on the bin but the warden said she’d already littered.

MK Council insist the wardens are necessary to keep the city “green and clean” and show a zero tolerance approach to litter and fly-tipping.

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Trendall, Cabinet member for Customer Services, has said: “Littering is anti-social, dangerous and harmful to our local wildlife and environment. It is also a huge cost to the council. This money could be spent on other essential services if offenders took the simple step of not throwing their rubbish on the floor.”

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