That's how shop worker Bradley felt when he got a £50 fine for dropping a cigarette end on the pavement, only seconds before he was going to sweep it up anyway.

A YORK shop worker was left fuming after he was fined £50 for dropping a cigarette - on a stretch of pavement which he regularly sweeps.

Furious Bradley Agar today said the spot fine handed out by a roving council litter warden was unfair, because there was nowhere nearby to get rid of a cigarette end safely.

Bradley, who works in the Company clothing shop in Church Street, was yards away from the broom he uses to sweep the shop frontage as part of his daily routine.

He said: "Litter should not happen but when it's something like a cigarette, which is biodegradable anyway, what else can you do?"

The fine came as part of an ongoing council clampdown - driven by the high-profile York Pride campaign - to clean up the city.

Wardens started patrolling last April after warning litter louts about get tough fines, currently being issued at an average of five per week.

Bradley, 21, who lives in Leeman Road, was caught as he rushed to work. He was running slightly late, and dropped the butt outside the shop.

But the warden said Bradley refused to pick it up when asked, so he issued a £50 penalty.

One of Bradley's first duties would have been to sweep the area outside the shop, along with the dropped cigarette butt.

Bradley phoned the council to protest about the lack of cigarette bins in the city centre, but was told the fine would stand.

Bradley said: "I'm angry there's nowhere to extinguish them properly. The only alternative is to put the cigarette in the bin. Then it could set the contents on fire.

"You go to any other city and they have cigarette bins in most places.

"Rather than have people out chasing smokers, the council should spend the money on some extinguishing posts."

City of York Council today stood by its litter policy. Lack of cigarette bins would not wash as an excuse.

A spokeswoman said: "Cigarette ends are the most significant cause of litter in York. This is reflected in the number of notices served for this offence.

"Authorities are measured on street cleanliness and cigarette ends contribute to this grading. Therefore, we cannot turn a blind eye to people who leave cigarette ends on the street."

To avoid a fine, smokers should extinguish cigarettes fully and then hold on to them until they find a bin.

More cigarette bins are planned from fine funds, and free portable ashtrays are available from wardens.

Updated: 10:00 Monday, February 14, 2005