More than 20 people have been fined by North Somerset Council after breaching draconian public space protection orders (PSPOs) across the region.

Of the 22 people who were fined at North Somerset Magistrates' Court last month (July 1), most were Westonians.

The PSPO breaches saw people ordered to pay more than £8,000 in fines as a result of prosecutions brought by the council.

Total fines ranged from £174 to £404 depending on means and whether a guilty plea was entered. The council says it was awarded costs in all cases.

Each person was given a fixed penalty notice of £75, and sent at least one reminder letter, but failed to pay.

Of the charges heard at the court, 20 of them was for littering by dropping a cigarette on the floor, and two charges were issued for having a dog off lead in an area where dogs must be on leads, such as on Weston's seafront promenade.

North Somerset Council's executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, Cllr Mike Solomon, said: "It’s disappointing to see that the majority of these offenders live in Weston.

"We’ve heavily publicised our PSPOs so there really is no excuse.

"Robust enforcement of the PSPOs is a key part of the action we are taking to clean up our local area and make North Somerset a greener place to be.

"We hope our partnership with Local Authority Support and enforcement of the PSPOs will lead to a reduction of overall offending."