A West Midlands pensioner became one of the first people to be issued a fixed penalty notice under a pilot scheme introduced on Monday.

The 65-year-old man, from Nechells in Birmingham, was fined �40 for being drunk and disorderly.

Earlier, two people were fined in Chelmsford in Essex under the new scheme, which allows officers to issue on-the-spot penalties of �40 or �80 for minor offences.

It is being piloted for a year by police forces in the West Midlands, Essex and Croydon.

Police cells

West Midlands Police said the pensioner, who has not been named, was arrested on Monday afternoon outside a pub where he had been abusive to staff.

"Once outside, he repeatedly offered to fight officers and was arrested," a force spokesman said.

"He was taken into custody and once he sobered up this morning, he was issued with a new penalty notice."

The first notice of the day was issued at 0040 BST, just 40 minutes after the pilot scheme began.

Essex Police ordered a man in Chelmsford to pay �80 for a public order offence.

The force also issued the second fine of the day, to a 20-year-old woman in Chelmsford at 2340 BST.

She must pay �40 for being drunk and disorderly.

The scheme is aimed at preventing police cells and magistrates courts becoming clogged with petty offenders.