A TEENAGER has been charged with dropping a cigarette butt in Bolton town centre.

The 17-year-old is alleged to have dropped a cigarette end and left it in Victoria Square South on August 6 last year.

Bolton Council is prosecuting the teenager.

He was due to appear at Bolton Magistrates Court yesterday but his case was adjourned until February 19 when he will appear at Bolton Youth Court.

More than 1,000 fixed penalties have been issued since September last year for dropping cigarette ends, which accounts for 90 per cent of environmental crime.

Last year a woman was given an on-the-spot fine after a bit of her pastie dropped on to the floor and she allowed a pigeon to eat it.

She was given the fine despite putting food wrappers into a bin in Newport Street at the time. The penalty was later withdrawn.

And an 18-year-old woman from Bolton, was fined £50 and ordered to pay £75 costs and a £25 surcharge after being spotted stamping out a cigarette in Deane Road, outside Bolton College.

The hearing was held at Bolton Magistrates Court last year.

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “Littering is a serious problem across Bolton and we will always crack down on people dropping litter wherever possible.

“While a cigarette butt may seem small, clearing up litter costs the council more than £2 million a year.

“We remain committed to enforcing littering around the town, and anyone spotted dropping cigarette butts, or any other kind of litter, will be challenged, investigated, and potentially face a fine.”