Andrew Stevenson says he will not pay the fine (Pic: Llanelli Star)

Andrew Stevenson is the first person in Carmarthenshire to receive such an on-the-spot ticket for littering.

After puffing away outside his non- smoking office he dropped the butt and was given a fixed penalty.

The county council says there had a problem with discarded cigarettes in the area but says officers use their discretion when issuing fines.

I asked where Jeremy Beadle was because I though I was going to get a Gotcha medal Andrew Stevenson

Mr Stevenson, 20, told BBC News Online he was arriving for work at a call centre on Tuesday morning and dropped the cigarette on the floor before stamping on it to put it out.

"Our company does provide an ashtray, which is on the wall, but the public use it as a bin and it is always full of papers," he added.

"As I was going inside, two council officers asked if they could have a word and showed me their council badges.

"They then read me my rights for some stupid reason and took my information off me.

"I asked where Jeremy Beadle was because I though I was going to get a Gotcha medal.

"They then gave me a slip and a �75 fine. I'm not going to pay it - it is not right.

"Ninety-nine percent of people would chuck them on the floor.

There is no excuse to drop it on the floor Environment officer Paul Morris

"If there is an ashtray I will use it. But they do not provide any ashtrays in the town, only bins and they are full of paper."

Carmarthenshire environment officer Paul Morris said a town centre council warden had noticed a large number of cigarette butts in Cowell Street in the town.

He said he had previously spoken to the manager of the call centre and asked him to tell staff going outside on breaks to dispose of their cigarettes in bins.

But he said the problem continued.

"I instructed our environment wardens to go there and if they saw anyone dropping cigarette butts to issue a fixed penalty notice.

"There is no excuse to drop it on the floor.

"If a person drops a cigarette butt in the street we will use our common sense. Our environment wardens target particular problems."

Although it is the first �75 fine for dropping a cigarette end in Carmarthenshire, councils were given the go-ahead by the Welsh Assembly Government in April to issue fixed penalties for litter and dog fouling, trebling the old fine of �25.