THE prosecution of a Cinderford pensioner accused of dropping a cigarette butt in the  street was stopped after the prosecution decided it was not in the public interest.

At 72, the prosecution told Cheltenham magistrates that the age of Robert Bevan was also a factor in the decision.

Mr Bevan, of Somerset Road, was alleged to have ‘dropped or otherwise deposited litter’ in Eastgate Street, Gloucester, on August 28 last year by discarding a cigarette and leaving it there.

His case was listed to be heard at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on March  24.

The prosecution withdrew the charge and gave the reason for their decision as “age of defendant and not in public interest.”