Flinging a dog-end out of his car and driving off has cost an Ipswich motorist £370.

Simon Smith, formerly of Glamorgan Road and now of Vernon Street, did not appear at the town’s magistrates to enter a plea to depositing litter in West End Road.

However, the case was found to be proven in his absence after he failed to pay the fixed penalty notice he was given.

Smith was fined £200 and must pay £20 to the victims’ fund. In addition he must make a contribution towards prosecution costs of £150.

After the hearing a spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: “Members of the public should be aware that throwing cigarettes out of cars, or discarding them on the street, is an offence and where we can we will take action.

“People should not ignore fixed penalty notices or like Mr Smith they could find themselves in court and have to pay a hefty fine.”

The offence occurred shortly after 1.40pm on July 31 last year when two Ipswich Borough Council waste enforcement officers were travelling along West End Road.

They saw the driver of a blue BMW discard a cigarette butt and drive away.

A DVLA check was made and it showed the owner of the vehicle was Simon Smith, then of Glamorgan Road.

An £80 fixed penalty notice was issued giving Smith 14 days to pay.

However Smith did not respond and the notice remained unpaid.

When checks were made again it was discovered an error had been made and the fixed penalty was re-issued on August 20.

This remained unpaid.

On September 28 a reminder was sent out.

Another final reminder was issued on December 1, but again no payment was made.

A check showed Smith no longer lived in Glamorgan Road and had moved to Vernon Street.

A hand-delivered notice of intended prosecution was made on December 16, along with the original notice and the final reminders, but still no money was forthcoming.

In November 2014 the borough council also prosecuted another motorist for throwing his dog-end out of his car and on to Felixstowe Road.

The driver of a Nissan Micra, from Westleton near Saxmundham, had ignored three demands to pay a fixed penalty notice.

He was ordered to pay an £80 fine as well as £20 to the victims’ fund and £20 towards the costs of bringing the prosecution.