Penalties of £150 to curb litter louts
LITTER louts will face on-the-spot fines of up to £150, almost double the current limit, the Government has announced.
From April next year, the biggest fixed penalty councils can hand out to people dropping litter or throwing rubbish from cars will rise from £80 to £150.
The minimum fine increases from £50 to £65, while the default fine goes up from £75 to £100.
Town halls will also be able to impose fines on the owners of vehicles from which litter was thrown, even if it was discarded by someone else.
Legislation will be introduced by the end of this year as part of efforts to clean up streets and countryside, which costs the taxpayer almost £800million a year.
But the Government said the powers should not be abused simply to raise money.
Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “Littering blights our communities, spoils our countryside and taxpayers’ money is wasted cleaning it up.”
Edmund King, president of motoring organisation the AA, said: “There is absolutely no excuse for car litter louts. It is not difficult for car occupants to bag their litter and bin it in the right place.” A LOST masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci that once sold for £45 is set to fetch at least £75million at auction.
Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World) dates from about 1500 and is one of just 16 known works.
The face of Christ was previously over-painted with a moustache and beard and was believed to be by one of the Italian Old Master’s pupils.
In 1958 it sold for £45 but experts recently confirmed it was genuine.
The painting – on show today and tomorrow at Christie’s in London – is expected to sell to a private collector at auction in New York next month.