A dropped cigarette butt has cost an Epsom man more than £535.

Anthony Nevin, 61, of Reigate Road, was found guilty of littering in Sittingbourne High Street last year, and ordered to pay a £50 fine, £30 victim surcharge and legal costs of £455 within 90 days.

He had failed to attend a trial last week after being charged with littering.

Nevin pleaded not guilty on March 16, but a judge at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court found him guilty in his absence on Tuesday, May 30.

He had failed to pay a fixed penalty notice of £80 after being caught dropping a cigarette on August 18 last year.

Emma Wiggins, interim director of regeneration at Swale Borough Council, said: “Some people might think that by ignoring the fixed penalty notice, we’ll forget about their offence and the problem will go away. This prosecution clearly shows that is not the case.

“We’re determined to get the message through that we - and the overwhelming majority of people in the borough - won’t tolerate littering on our streets.”