Johnny Vegas has been on a health kick since his shock spilt from wife Maia Dunphy - and this latest move might just help him drop his worst habit for good.

Because the comedian was slapped with a £150 fine after disposing of his cigarette in the way he thought best: down a drain.

But eagle-eyed officers at Doncaster Council caught him in the act and gave him the £150 fine for littering - making him miss his train while he filled in paperwork.

Taking to Twitter to moan about what happened, Johnny wrote: "Dear MyDoncaster whilst my love for the good folk here will never diminish your £150 fine for responsibly placing a cig in a grid has now placed us at odds.

"Despite your enforcer's empty promises I did miss my train as a result & look forward to billing you respectively, cheers."

(Image: WENN)

But, clearly taking a tongue-in-cheek leaf out of Johnny's own book, the council responded in kind.

"Dear JohnnyVegasReal the is mutual, however at the risk of becoming the butt of the joke, drains aren't appropriate disposal areas for cigarettes," they tweeted him back.

"These eventually end up in our water courses & damage the environment. We hope this incident doesn't stub out our friendship."

Taking the rebuttal in the spirit it was intended, Johnny fired back: "Perhaps a bin built with a means for cigarette disposal in mind might’ve helped, although I can see the gap in potential revenue, fines beyond common sense.

"Still, wonderful use of puns in your response. You’ve a grand sense of humour so kudos for that x."

(Image: Twitter)

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It comes as Johnny attempts to quit the habit of a lifetime as part of an ongoing battle for his health.

Replying to one fan who pointed out that he wouldn't have been fined if he wasn't a smoker, Johnny wrote: "Trying mate.

"Dropped three stone in advance of the inevitable weight gain that will follow dropping the coffin nails.

"Need to be light enough to break out the skipping rope again."

(Image: Getty Images)

Johnny has had a rough couple of weeks of late, after his elderly mother was rushed to hospital.

The funnyman has been sending his gratitude to the NHS over Twitter, hailing the doctors and nurses looking after her as "everyday superstars" and thanking them for their "vital healthcare, dedication and kindness above and beyond the call of duty".

He's also grieving the loss of his dad in 2017, and opened up to one follower with advice about coping with loss.

"Lost my Dad last year & I'm so sorry to hear you are in that space right now," he tweeted back.

"It's an individual process is grieving & some aspects hit you out of the blue. All I can ask without simplifying it is this 'Would they want this pain for you?' I doubt it if you loved them & felt loved."