FIFTY smokers have been slapped with a £75 fine in a crackdown on litter bugs.

Torbay Council has issued the fixed-penalty notices for smokers caught using the streets as an ashtray throughout the four-week campaign.

Cllr Louisa Aiton, Cabinet member for community safety and community engagement, said: "There is still a perception that because a cigarette butt is a small item, it is OK to chuck it onto the floor.

"To avoid a £75 fixed-penalty notice I would suggest that smokers use cigarette bins where available or carry a personal ashtray so that they can dispose of their cigarettes safely and responsibly."

The national clean-up charity Keep Britain Tidy estimates that more than 30million tonnes of litter are collected from the streets of England every year at a cost to council tax payers of £500million.

The charity also states that smoking-related rubbish is now the UK's biggest litter problem, with cigarette litter reported to be found on 78 per cent of our streets.

Non-payment of the fine will be referred to the council's legal department for consideration of a prosecution, where if prosecuted and found guilty the maximum fine is £2,500.

Torbay Council took steps to raise awareness about cigarette litter last year.

It has repeated the message again this year with an eye-catching bus advertising campaign.

The council has also introduced a number of cigarette bins throughout Torbay and given away free personal ashtrays through its Connections offices.

The clean-up mission has also targeted litter louts and dog-fouling offenders.

Over the last three months, four people who have chosen not to pay fixed-penalty notices have been prosecuted at court for failing to pick up after their pets.

Each offender was ordered to pay a fine and additional costs which totalled £820.

Cllr Aiton said: "Torbay is an area of outstanding natural beauty.

"However, litter, dog fouling and other environmental crimes like fly-tipping and graffiti make our area look rundown and neglected, leading to regular requests from the public to the council to take a tough stance in addressing these problems."