Councils in England have been given powers to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £500 for littering, as part of legally-binding government guidance.
The updated guidance, which local authorities have a legal duty to follow, also means unpaid fines will double after 28 days.
The fines can also be issued when litter is thrown from a vehicle. If the offender can’t be identified, the owner of the vehicle will be held accountable for the littering.
The new statutory litter enforcement guidance ensures that all councils apply the same rules across the country.
The guidance also advises councils to avoid a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach when issuing penalties and ensure enforcement is ‘proportionate’.
The announcement comes ahead of this year’s Great British Spring Clean, the UK’s largest annual litter pick, organised by the charity Keep Britain Tidy.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, commented: “As we gear up for this year’s Great British Spring Clean, we are delighted that the government has recognised the importance of ‘turning off the tap’ of litter that blights communities up and down the country and pollutes our environment.”
As councils must now follow the guidance by law, the UK Government hopes this will deter them from entering into contracts with private enforcement companies.
Commenting on the announcement, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “Once again, hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the country will be setting off to their local parks, streets and beaches for the Great British Spring Clean next week – and they deserve our thanks for looking after our community spaces.”
“But we must stop litter louts from spoiling them in the first place, which is why we are giving local authorities clear legal powers to take action.”
“Councils across the country will now take the same tough approach on litterers and ensure they are being brought to justice.”
