Fines in excess of £300 have been dished out to three littering offenders who were caught dropping cigarette butts.

Darren Ripley, 30, of Downs Road, Deal, Meka Slater, 36, of Barton Road, Dover, and Kyle McGowan, 26, of Centenary Gardens, Sandwich, were successfully prosecuted by Dover District Council, at Canterbury Magistrates Court on Tuesday, October 6.

An environment enforcement officer witnessed Ripley drop his cigarette from a vehicle in Freemen’s Way, Deal, on February 25, 2015.

He was sent a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). When he failed to pay, DDC took the case to court. He pleaded guilty by post and must now pay out £305.

Slater was seen discarding a cigarette from a car parked at Triangles Community Centre in Poulton Close, Dover, on April 8, 2015.

After failing to pay a FPN, the case was taken to court. She pleaded guilty by post and must now pay £305.

McGowan discarded a cigarette on Biggin Street, Dover, and then entered a shop, leaving the cigarette on the floor, on March 9, 2015.

He was found guilty of an offence of littering in his absence and must now pay £370.

Cllr Trevor Bartlett, DDC Cabinet Member for Property Management and Public Protection, said: “Littering is a strain on local authority budgets and in 2014 Keep Britain Tidy stated the direct cost of keeping Britain’s streets clean and tidy is almost £1billion a year.

"Residents consistently tell us they want more rigorous enforcement, and we will not hesitate to take action wherever appropriate.”