A MOTHER has told of her fury after her daughter was fined £150 for dropping a cigarette butt in Brighton.

Fency Birkin slammed the penalty as "overkill" and said the council should not come down as hard first-time offenders - especially young people.

She claimed a £50 bill would have been an "adequate" punishment for her 21-year-old daughter who was caught littering in West Street on October 9.

Brighton and Hove City Council said there is "no excuse" for dropping litter, given the "thousands of bins available" across the city.

Mrs Birkins shared an image of the fixed penalty notice on Facebook, warning people to "beware" of environmental enforcement officers patrolling the city.

She said: "My 21-year-old daughter got a fine for dropping a cigarette butt on the floor in Brighton. £150 is a bit much! Beware, people!

The Argus: The FPN issued by the council The FPN issued by the council

"If there was a system that showed they had done it before then maybe £150 is okay. But in this situation, a £50 fine would have been adequate.

"Especially for a young person."

The littering fine comes as piles of rubbish remain on the streets almost a week after the bin strike was declared over.

The bin strike in Brighton and Hove officially ended after Brighton and Hove City Council and the GMB union agreed on a deal on Tuesday October 19.

The agreement included a pay rise that will benefit some of the lowest-paid staff across the whole council, as well as the Cityclean service.

However, weeks after the bin strike finished, rubbish remains piled high on the streets.

Photographs taken in Hove earlier this afternoon show rubbish piled up to head height on the streets.

Reacting to Mrs Birkins' Facebook post, a Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “Our enforcement officers are working extremely hard to make the city a cleaner and better place to live and will continue to do so by issuing fines to those who flout the law.

“The level of fine is set by the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee in line with Defra guidelines.

“Littering and fly-tipping costs council tax payers thousands of pounds every year to clear up, they also ruin the look and feel of our beautiful city.

“It is the responsibility of everyone to dispose of their litter properly.

“There’s no excuse for dropping litter given there are thousands of bins available across the city.”