A smoker has been forced to pay £860 after refusing to pay a fine issued for dropping a cigarette butt.

Robert Andrezej Duleba, 39, of Browning Road in Leytonstone, was handed an £80 fixed penalty notice (FPN) in September last year following the incident in High Street, Walthamstow.

He refused to pay the penalty issued by the council enforcement officers and the matter was referred to Thames Magistrates’ Court last month.

The fine was increased to £400 and he was ordered to pay £460 sosts.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, said: “I would suggest anyone who is in the habit of doing that might think twice now knowing that at the least they will be hit with an £80 FPN, and at worst they could be over £800 out of pocket over just a single cigarette butt.

“In short, it’s lazy, disrespectful and sets a bad example, and for this individual, it is also very expensive.”

The council was the first local authority in the country to introduce FPNs for spitting and urination last year.

Since then 61 FPNs have been issued for the offences and three successful prosecutions have been brought.