A Tory MP who posed with a Womble and urged voters not to be “litter tossers” has been fined £100 — for dropping a ciggy butt.
Richard Holden, 36, was accused of hypocrisy after he was caught throwing the fag on the ground near a leisure centre.
Just last year on a rubbish picking drive, he asked: “What sort of yob just tosses it out of the window?”
The MP for North West Durham had been supporting Tory candidates in council elections last week but left the building in Stanley to have a smoke.
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He was spotted by a warden dropping the butt on the ground and was issued with the fixed penalty notice for littering.
Mr Holden has posted pictures of himself doing litter picking in Consett, Co Durham, and alongside the Womble Orinoco.
He was given 10 days to pay or the charge increases to £150.
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North Durham Labour MP Kevan Jones described it as “very hypocritical” to lecture others on picking up litter when the MP was dropping it himself.
Councillor Carole Hampson said Mr Holden, who was approached by the Mirror for a comment, “should be setting an example but broke the law”.