This have nothing to do with littering, afterall the woman picked up the cigarette but, all this have to do with is more harrassment of people who smoke. A warning would have been sufficent.

What does this have to do with smoking? Admittedly the fine sounds steep. But just because it's a cigarette doesn't ,mean there is an Anto-smoking issue here.

So we are now ECO Criminals, unbelievable.
Cigarette end attract Vermin, no doubt called the Street care enforcement team .

If the illegal disposal of cigarette related waste is the biggest single problem they are a fortunate council. Others are struggling with financial cutbacks,crime and the health service.

We should not toleraste any form of littering, be it fag ends, paper bags, uneaten food, or whatever. Anyone caught litteriung should be fined stiffly.

You are of an outdated mind-set, arguing for smokers' rights; cigarettes are a toxic dump on fire. You should need an exemption from the environmental protection agency to burn the 599 additives in the tobacco syrup added to cigarettes. Citation; Senator Henry Waxman in the US Congress Hearings with the 5 major presidents of the US tobacco companies, as presented to him in a 50 page report containing those combined additives, some 20 years ago. Again; CIGARETTES ARE A TOXIC DUMP ON FIRE.
Non smokers have a right to BREATH FRESH AIR; that right supersedes smokers' right to pollute the air. Get with it. We are past your antiquated steam engines and your industrial revolution of over a hundred years ago. We all need clean unpolluted air.
Peter Irlenborn

The feeling I get about this are 2-fold.
On one hand it seems a did she-didn't she story. She claims to have picked the butt up, but later we are told this was not until after the fine had been issued. Given the spokesman's claim of "issuing a fine was a "last resort"." (bbc site linked above), I would hope that if she'd picked it up straight away then that would have been the end of it.
On the other hand I have to wonder how much of this is the media taking a "story" and running with it, even egging the lady on. This article is about littering rather than smoking, I agree with James when he said what's this got to do with smoking. It could have been a plastic cup or paper bag and it wouldn't have touched this site and I wonder the press at all.
All said it's a massive fine and who the heck is the 'victim' that is adding a further £15?

Yes, I'm a smoker, but 'gasp', litter annoys me. I'm not sure how much of this story, if any, if anti-smoking per se, but to start bandying phrases like 'ECO-criminal' about does no-one any favours and how soon before people start thinking they may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb? The 'official' (how I hate the growth in power to fine being given to any and everyone) was investigating a fly tipping, next time someone asks her about something like that, she's now going to just turn her back, thus the big society becomes a little smaller.

@peter
Until smoking is made illegal in the UK, there is every right to argue for smokers' rights, note it's not even equal rights. I do hope you don't drive or you are adding to a far more serious pollution than any smoker. I hope you do not heat your home or water with anything other than self generated energy.

Simon: I'm sure Peter's contributions to pollution are "different" from smokers' mainly because they are his, and he's obviously a perfect little fellow, isn't he?

If your aritcels are always this helpful, "I'll be back."

Peter,
Unless you are perfect and have no faults , habits or addictions, you have NO RIGHT AT ALL to pick on other people. PUT THAT IN A PIPE AND SMOKE IT.