Many people are outraged that these tactics have been employed and feel it is unfair.

Valerie Heath from Whitfield said, “This absolutely ludicrous. My husband is disabled and he smokes all the time.

“He was out doing the shopping today and said that he couldn’t see any posters or anything about the fines. People are not going to know. What are people meant to do?

“My husband said that there are only three bins for cigarettes in the town, so that means people who smoke are going to have to traipse all over town to put their fags out.

“If they try and give my man £50 fines he’s in danger of having an epileptic fit.”

Beatty McCourt of Clepington Road said, “It’s just ridiculous. I was standing in the town earlier on and I could see these people watching me. It’s not very nice.

“I’m not guilty of throwing butts on the street, but does this mean they are going to fine people for dropping anything on the street? I can understand trying to keep the place clean but £50 is a bit much. Maybe £10.”

Marie Cunningham of Lochee said, “The £50 fine is a bit much. There should be something, but maybe it should be more like £20.

“Dundee is quite a clean place and it should stay like that. But they should have told people about this before they started fining folk in the street.”

Maureen and John Marshall from Linlathen both disagree with the fines.

Mrs Marshall said, “We can’t do anything any more, it’s ridiculous. We are losing our civil liberties. I saw nothing in the papers about this.

“Where else are people meant to smoke? You can’t do anything in this country.”

Helen O’Neill from Woodside Terrace said, “Where are people meant to put out their cigarettes? It is good that they are cleaning up the town but there needs to be more facilities for people to get rid of their fags.”

Jeff Day of Crighton Street said, “I was out yesterday and saw a lady watching me smoke. She was waiting for me to put it out in the street.

“Does this mean that there are going to be people following you about all over town if you smoke?

“I think it is terrible. You can’t smoke in the pubs now and you come out and they are going to do you for smoking outside too.”

Concern was also expressed about the lack of warning about the policy.

Jean Duff from Whitfield said, “It should be up to you what you do with your cigarettes.

“I didn’t know anything about this, so I had better watch out.

“They would have to put me in the jail if they got me because I wouldn’t pay £50 even if I could.”

Paul Reilly from Tayport said, “I didn’t know anything about this. You can’t even park your car in the street for 20 minutes without getting fined for it.

“I don’t read the papers much so how was I supposed to find out about this?

“You can’t do anything any more.”On the other hand, shoppers at a Dundee supermarket gave their backing to the new fines issued to those who drop litter in the street.

Mark Wilson of Kemnay Place said, “I think in theory it’s a good idea. There’s far too much rubbish that just gets dropped in some parts of the town.

“I just hope they don’t just focus on the city centre, they need to visit problem areas across the town. I mean look at outside shops, outside schools and takeaway restaurants. There are always bottles, cans and plastic cartons that people must be dropping there too.”

Jennifer Dalrymple of Ballindean Road said, “I’m all for it. If they can keep the streets cleaner then that’s got to be a good thing.

“It might seem a bit excessive but I guarantee once someone has been hit with a £50 fine they won’t be hurrying to drop any litter.”

Margaret Kite of Arbroath Road said, “At least the council are finally doing something to tackle the problem. I think they could have highlighted the arrival of the fines at little better.”

* Independent Dundee councillor Ian Borthwick has called for a more balanced approach to the council’s litter policy.

Cllr Borthwick said that targeting the city centre by issuing fines of up £50 highlighted a “contradiction” in the council’s attitude to cleaning up the city.

“There needs to be a common sense approach to this issue. They are targeting elderly ladies for putting out cigarettes in the street when you have these disgraceful situations in the housing estates,” he said.

“There seems to be a policy of punitive action but there needs to be a uniform approach to the application of it to keep the whole city tidy.

“I go round places in my ward and see other parts of the city, and you can see that some areas are really a disgrace.

“There is rubbish in closes and furniture in gardens and all this sort of stuff. But when I see that the council are having a crackdown and they say that litter won't be tolerated in the city centre, I wonder why can't they extend this to all areas of the city.

“The authorities don't seem to be as zealous in some housing estates as they are in the city, and I am not sure whether this is just the soft option.

“I know it is a question of resources and that the council has legal obligations, but this is a problem of the proper direction of these resources.

“On the one hand we have this kind of action being taken in the city centre, but on the other hand we have the continuing problem in the housing estates and elsewhere in the city.

“There is nothing more disheartening than to come home from work to this kind of mess on your block — rubbish strewn about, graffiti in the closes, and bits of furniture everywhere.”

Mr Borthwick added that serious questions remain about the priorities of the council with regard to areas outwith the city centre.

“This really raises the question whether we as a local authority are being sufficiently active in enforcing agreements and management of the city's housing estates,” he said.

“They are not as vigorous in their enforcement in these areas as they are in the city centre.

“Some of the situations which have been going on for some time are disgraceful and an affront to people who are law-abiding, decent and hard working.

“It is the contradiction that concerns me here, and I wonder whether authorities are just taking the easy option.”