A GWENDRAETH Valley man has been fined £300 for leaving bags of glass on the ground at a recycling site.

Joseph Edward Malcolm Smith, aged 19, of The Dingles, Cwmgwili, was seen by council environmental enforcement officers leaving three bags of glass next to the recycling banks in the Co-op car park in Cross Hands.

He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the offence, which happened on February 15 this year, but failed to pay it.

Smith failed to attend Carmarthen Magistrates Court and the case against him was proven in his absence.

He was prosecuted for an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and was also ordered to pay £158 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Our recycling sites are important facilities for the local community and they need to be kept tidy but unfortunately some people are too lazy to use the recycling banks so just leave them on the ground instead.

“People are being reminded that they need to place the bottles in the bank rather than leave them in bags and boxes at the site. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated and anyone caught will be prosecuted.”