A West Malling salon owner has been prosecuted for littering following a Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council crack down.

Ralph Spence, of Ralph's Hairdressing, failed to adequately dispose of commercial waste at bins behind the High Street salon.

As a result rubbish was blown across a public car park.

Spence declined the opportunity to pay towards the clean up cost and was subsequently fined £50 and ordered to pay costs of £50 and a £20 victim surcharge by Maidstone magistrates.

Cllr Jill Anderson, Cabinet Member for housing and environmental services, said: “There can be no excuse for causing litter and magistrates continue to take such offences very seriously.

"We know that for the vast majority of residents littering continues to be a major concern – it looks horrible, is totally unacceptable, damages the local environment and costs TMBC (and therefore the taxpayer) more than £1.2m every year to clear up.

"Our message is simple: littering, including throwing cigarette ends on the ground, is a crime and will not be tolerated in this borough. Businesses also have a duty to their local community not to let the waste they produce impact negatively on the environment.”

TMBC provides more than 1,000 litter bins across the borough, fixed penalty notices for littering are set at £80, reduced to £50 if paid with 10 days.