War on litter lout drivers who ruin our roadsides
POLICE will be given powers to punish motorists who throw rubbish out their car window under proposals being considered by ministers.
Research published yesterday showed that the number of bottles, cups, cans and takeaway wrappers being discarded by the roadside has rocketed in recent years.
The charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, which published the research, is demanding that the registered keeper of a vehicle can be held responsible for any litter thrown from it, making it easier for police to secure a conviction.
Derek Robertson, the charity’s chief executive, said: ‘The current barrier to enforcement – the need to identify the offender – could be easily overcome with a simple amendment to existing legislation.
‘It is estimated that double the number of fixed penalty notices could be issued if the registered keeper of the vehicle was held responsible.
‘We now know that 65 per cent of people would be prepared to report the registration number of a vehicle if they saw litter being thrown from it.’
A poll carried out on behalf of Keep Scotland Beautiful found 88 per cent of Scots agreed vehicle owners should be fined if rubbish is thrown from their windows. It also revealed that new research showed the proportion of A road verges blighted by litter has soared from 74 per cent in 2016-17 to 84 per cent last year.
The Scottish Government confirmed that it is committed to ‘looking for an opportunity to change the law to make it easier to use enforcement powers when litter is thrown from vehicles’.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: ‘We all have a role to play in changing Scotland’s throwaway culture.’
Scottish Labour environment spokesman Claudia Beamish said: ‘Littering remains all too prevalent and it is essential we explore all possible avenues to stop it.’
Scottish Tory chief whip Maurice Golden said: ‘I would like to see fines for those who purposefully throw litter onto our roadsides, but we must ensure that these measures are not open to abuse.’
‘Throwaway culture’