COMMENTS from a top Ceredigion councillor that prosecuting litter louts is not the answer has drawn an angry response from readers.

Neighbouring Carmarthenshire County Council has fined 37 people in the last three months for environmental crimes such as littering and failing to comply with the council’s recycling scheme.

But it is unclear whether anybody in Ceredigion has ever been prosecuted.

The Cambrian News has asked the council, under the Freedom of Information Act, how many Fixed Penalty Notices it has issued and how many prosecutions it has brought for environmental crimes in the last five years, and we are still awaiting the council’s response.

Resident and Keep Aber Tidy campaign supporter David Kirby was incensed when he read in the Cambrian News last week that Cabinet member for waste Cllr Alun Williams said he thought prosecuting people doesn’t provide a real answer because of all the costs involved.

Mr Kirby said that, while he respected Cllr Williams, he found his reasoning for not prosecuting offenders “rather weak”.

Mr Kirby said: “Though I regard Alun Williams as one of the better county councillors, I must say that I find his stance as reported in your interview published on 24 November as rather weak.

“Action against litter offenders can be taken using Fixed Penalty Notices which are not expensive to administer and yield revenue to the council which may be used for funding other litter control measures.”