Call for tougher fines on drivers who litter

DRIVERS who throw litter from cars face a fine of £150 under new plans to clean up Scotland’s roads.

Tory MSP Maurice Golden will this week urge ministers to launch a crackdown on motorists responsible.

Keep Scotland Beautiful also wants new laws to target drivers, even if a passenger threw the litter.

The charity estimates that 50 tons of litter are abandoned on Scottish roadsides every year.

Mr Golden wants to see a scheme where drive-through food outlets mark packaging with registration numbers so culprits can be traced.

He also called for on the spot fines to soar from £80 to £150, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to target country fly-tipping with big penalties for culprits.

He said: ‘Fly-tipping is a massive concern in rural communities. If you go out for a walk you will see rubbish, discarded wood and old carpets just lying on verges. It’s simply not on and we need to send out a strong message.’

Keep Scotland Beautiful research found that more than half of Scottish adults had seen someone throw litter from a vehicle, 68 per cent think Scotland has a problem, and 61 per cent believe not enough is being done to tackle it.

Operations director Carole Noble said: ‘We believe that there is a clear need to improve the legislation.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are committed to working to change people’s behaviour and prevent littering.’