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Maximum litter fines to almost double to £150 from
April next year
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Fines introduced for owners of vehicles from which
litter is thrown
New steps will be taken to deal with litter
louts and those few who mindlessly throw rubbish from their
vehicles, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey announced
today.
Cleaning up our streets and countryside
currently costs the taxpayer almost £800m a year and so maximum
on-the-spot fines for dropping litter will almost double from
April next year - from the current limit of £80 to £150 - in
order to deter and punish the anti-social minority who continue
to drop rubbish.
In future councils will also be able to impose these fines on the
owners of vehicles from which litter is thrown, even if it was
discarded by someone else. The government is clear these fines
should not be abused simply as a means of raising money, so
guidance on how fines should be applied will be issued to
councils.
Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey
said:
“Littering blights our communities, spoils our countryside and
taxpayers’ money is wasted cleaning it up.
“Throwing rubbish from a vehicle is just as unacceptable as
dropping it in the street and we will
tackle this antisocial behaviour by hitting litter louts in the
pocket.
“These new fines will make sure the
perpetrators, not the local community, bear the cost of keeping
our streets and roads clean.”
Today’s announcement means that:
- From April next year, the maximum on-the-spot fine local
authorities can issue for dropping litter will nearly double,
from £80 to £150. The minimum fine will increase from £50 to £65,
while the default fine will increase from £75 to £100.
- For the first time, local authorities will also be able to
apply these penalties for littering to vehicle owners if it can
be proved litter was thrown from their car – even if it was
discarded by somebody else.
The changes to fines for littering follow a
public consultation as part of the launch of England’s first ever
Litter Strategy in April 2017. These new findings showed the vast
majority of respondents were in favour of increasing on-the-spot
fines.
More than 85% were in favour of increasing
fixed penalties for littering, while local authorities agreed
that new penalties to tackle littering from cars would help to
improve environmental quality in their area. The government is
today confirming that it will proceed with these measures, with
legislation introduced by the end of this year and the new fines
in place by April next year, subject to parliamentary
approval.
The government is clear however that councils
must not abuse the power to impose fines. Councils should take
into account local circumstances, like local ability to pay, when
setting the level for these fines. Government guidance will be
issued around the turn of the year to ensure the new powers are
used in a fair and proportionate way by local authorities.
Ends.
Notes to editors:
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Current penalties
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New penalties
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Minimum
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£50
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£65
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Default
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£75
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£100
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Maximum
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£80
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£150
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