Welsh boxing legend Joe Calzaghe has received a fine for dropping a cigarette. The former world champion from Blackwood, who retired after an unbeaten career, landed in court after illegally disposing of the cigarette in an area of Bristol known for its zero-tolerance policy on littering.
Calzaghe did not attend the hearing on May 9 at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, where he was found guilty of breaching the Environmental Protection Act. The court heard he was outside Japanese restaurant Itsu in the Broadmead shopping area on November 10 last year when he left a cigarette on the ground.
The 50-year-old, of Manor Gardens in Maesruddud, was handed a £220 fine, £150 in prosecution costs and a £34 victim services surcharge. He was given four weeks to pay.
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Broadmead has been at the centre of a Bristol City Council “litter police” crackdown on environmental crimes, including dropping chewing gum or cigarette butts on the street. The council contracts enforcement firm 3GS to patrol the streets.
The company took on the contract in 2019 after a controversial 18-month pilot scheme run by Kingdom. It emerged that 90 per cent of the 13,000 fines issued by Kingdom were smoking-related.
Bristol's enforcement officers wear polo shirts with the 3GS logo on them and the council emblem on their epaulettes. If they catch someone littering, they can issue a £100 fixed penalty notice. If you do not pay within two weeks, you can be taken to court. Read more court stories here.
