A smoker from the Rhondda Valley says he's learnt his lesson after he discarded a cigarette butt in the street and had to pay out £560.
Gethin Richards ignored a court summons after failing to pay an initial penalty of £75, so the bill mounted up.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council says it wants those who drop litter to face the consequences.
Gethin Richards, who is facing a £560 bill after ignoring a court summons for not paying a littering fine, says he's learnt his lesson.
A smoker in Rhondda Cynon Taf has been hit with a £560 bill, for throwing his cigarette butt into the road in Pontyclun.
The council said Gethin Richards, 30, from Tonypandy, has to pay its biggest smoking fine yet.
He was prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act, after being caught by the council's 'streetcare enforcement team.'
He was originally given a £75 fixed penalty notice, but after he failed to pay it the case went to magistrates court, and the total £560 bill also included costs.
Over the last year, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has recovered £43,950 from fixed penalty notices for acts of 'environmental crime' - which include dog fouling, fly tipping, littering and dropping cigarette butts.
South Wales Police say they believe a fire at the former Clydach Vale Working Men's Club was started deliberately.
Emergency services were called to the blaze at the building known locally as the 'Top Club' on Howard St shortly after midday on Saturday.
The club recently closed after almost a century serving the community. Local boxer and former British and Empire heavyweight champion fought there in 1928.
– Detective Inspector Rob Williams, South Wales PoliceWe are keeping an open mind as to who is may be responsible for yesterday’s incident and we are actively exploring a number of lines of enquiry, including House to House enquiries and the forensic examination of the scene.”
I would also like to appeal for any witnesses who may have seen anybody acting suspiciously near the former Club, which is situated on Howard Street, Tonypandy, prior to the incident.
Rhondda Cynon Taff Council is entering the latest phase of its anti metal theft campaign, after £80,000 worth has been stolen from school buildings, including at Tonypandy Primary School.
Children will now help use 'smart water' - which shows up under certain lights - to mark metals, making it easier to trace the materials if stolen.
South Wales Police have released a photograph of a man in connection with the theft of lead at a primary school in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Read the full storyMetal thieves have caused 20 thousand pounds worth of damage at a school in Rhondda Cynon Taff after stealing lead from the buildings roof.
Dean Thomas reports.
Metal thieves have caused 20 thousand pounds worth of damage at a school in Rhondda Cynon Taff after stealing lead from the buildings roof.
Torrential rain overnight has seeped into class rooms at Tonypandy Primary School ruining books and equipment.
A house in Tonypandy dubbed the 'cheapest in Britain' has sold for 4 times its guide price at auction. The dilapidated property was valued at around four thousand pounds, but finally went under the hammer for sixteen thousand five hundred pounds.
