Comedian Johnny Vegas at odds with Doncaster Council over cigarette fine

Comedian Johnny Vegas was hit with a fine by Doncaster Council for not disposing of a cigarette stub in the correct way

He took to twitter to show outrage for the Â£150 fine he received for 'responsibly' placing a cigarette end down a drain.

Mentioning Doncaster Council, he wrote: "Whilst my love for the good folk here will never diminish your Â£150 fine for responsibly placing a cig in a grid has now placed us at odds.

"Despite your enforcer's empty promises I did miss my train as a result & look forward to billing you respectively, cheers."

The issue was one that divided opinion on Twitter.

One user said: "My friend a one parent with two young kids was fined Â£80 for the same thing.

"There is no bin, no ashtray. Shame on you Doncaster council cashing in on smokers."

Another said: "So you put a cig end down a grid then that is littering so the enforcement officer was right to fine you, it’s not his fault then that you missed your train."

According to the Doncaster council website, under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the fixed penalty fine for litter is Â£150 reduced to Â£100 if paid within 28 days.

It also states that items such as chewing gum and cigarette butts are a nuisance and are often more expensive to clean up than other rubbish.

The council took the tweet in good humour, replying: "The love is mutual, however at the risk of becoming the butt of the joke, drains aren't appropriate disposal areas for cigarettes.

"These eventually end up in our water courses & damage the environment. We hope this incident doesn’t stub out our friendship."

Vegas then said: "Perhaps a bin built with a means for cigarette disposal in mind might’ve helped, although I can see the gap in potential revenue, fines beyond common sense."

Some users are now calling for Doncaster Council to collect the fine and donate the money to a local charity.

The Doncaster Free Press contacted the council for comment.

Vegas was in Doncaster filming for the fifth series of the sitcom Still Open All Hours with the likes of Sir David Jason and Tim Healy.

The series has seen film crews set up shop on the corner of Lister Avenue and Scarth Avenue in Balby.