SMOKERS who litter the streets of an Essex town with their cigarette butts will face a �75 fine.

The pilot project has been launched in conjunction with eight businesses in Halstead as part of a campaign to keep the town cleaner.

If the scheme proves successful, council chiefs will extend it to other businesses in Braintree and Witham, later this year.

Councillor Wendy Schmitt, cabinet member for clean, green and safe at Braintree District Council, said: “As part of our Green Heart of Essex campaign to keep the district cleaner and greener, I’m pleased to see this pilot project get underway.

“We want to help businesses encourage their customers to act responsibly and I hope this focus on smoking-related litter will highlight the benefits of working together in this way.”

The businesses backing the initiative are The Royal Oak, The White Hart and The Bull pubs; Scenarios Bar and Whispers Wine Bar; plus Coral, William Hill and Jennings bookmakers.

Nigel Bolland, owner of Whispers, said: “We think this is a great idea from the council to encourage everyone to do their bit to tackle litter in our towns.

“We’ve always tried to make it easy for customers to dispose of litter and we tidy the area outside our premises.

“So with everyone on board, I’m sure the appearance of the town will really benefit.”

The authority began the campaign at Christmas when it approached businesses about taking part in the scheme.

After distributing campaign posters and material, enforcement officers took to the streets this week to fine anyone dropping cigarette ends.

The council will monitor litter levels throughout the pilot project, which is expected to finish at the end of February.

It will then be evaluated by council officers, and, if deemed a success, it will be rolled out to other businesses in the district from March.