Litter louts face £150 fines in new blitz
● LITTER louts in Halton could be hit with £150 fines as part of ambitious new plans to tackle rubbish across England.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom unveiled the Government’s first Litter Strategy For England to reduce the near £800m burden to the taxpayer of clean-up costs.
Under the new measures, vehicle owners could also receive penalty notices when it can be proved litter was thrown from their car – even if it was discarded by somebody else.
The new motoring rules, which are already in force in London, make owners liable even if they did not throw the litter themselves.
Ms Leadsom said: “Litter is something that affects us all – blighting our countryside, harming our wildlife, polluting our seas, spoiling our towns, and giv- ing visitors a poor impression of our country.
“Our litter strategy will tackle this antisocial behaviour by building an anti-litter culture; making it easier for people to dispose of rubbish; and hitting litter louts in the pocket.”
Further measures drawn up by three Government departments include issuing new guidance for councils to be able to update the nation’s ‘binfrastructure’ through creative new designs and better distribution of public litter bins, making it easier for people to discard rubbish.
Offenders serving community sentences in the borough, including people caught fly-tipping, could help councils clear up litter and flytipped waste.
Other measures include stopping councils from charging householders for disposal of DIY household waste at rubbish dumps, and working with Highways England to target the 25 worst litter hotspots across the road network to deliver long-lasting improvements to cleanliness.
Communities minister Marcus Jones said: “It’s time we con- ● signed litter louts and fly-tippers to the scrap heap of history.
“Through our first ever National Litter Strategy we plan to do exactly that.
“For too long a selfish minority have got away with spoiling our streets. It’s time we sent them a clear message – clean up or face having to cough up.”
The consultation on the new enforcement measures officially opened on Monday, April 10.
Guidance will be issued to councils to accompany any new enforcement powers, to make sure they are targeted at cutting litter, while preventing over-zealous enforcement or fines being used to raise revenue.
The Government will follow the strategy with a new national anti-littering campaign in 2018, working with industry and the voluntary sector to drive behaviour change.