A CIGARETTE has cost a Tamworth local much more than he bargained for after he was slapped with a hefty fine.
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About 5.35am on Friday, the 55-year-old was behind the wheel of a car on Goonoo Goonoo Rd, South Tamworth when he flicked a lit cigarette from his car.
An off-duty police officer saw the man take a number of drags of the cigarette before it was tossed onto the roadway.
Police said the lit cigarette emitted a shower of sparks and flew up onto the bonnet of a following car before falling to the side of the road.
Following investigations, police tracked the driver down and he was issued an infringement notice under the Rural Fire Services Act for $1320 because the cigarette was tossed during a total fire ban.
Tamworth police said they were taking a strong line because of the amount of fuel about and the potential risk for fires in the hot weather.