On-the-spot fines restart as city tackles litter louts
We've restarted fining people for littering, with enforcement officers patrolling the beaches and seafront.
As more people get out and about, there is an increasing amount of litter and debris being left on the beaches and seafront by those unwilling to find a bin, or take their waste home if bins are full.
Our enforcement officers will hand out on-the-spot fines (or Fixed Penalty Notices) of £150 to anyone caught dropping litter or not clearing it up or disposing of it properly.
Litter is not just paper
This includes everything from cigarette butts, chewing gum, food and food wrappers, bottles, cans, used BBQs and anything else deemed litter.
People caught spitting, urinating or defecating in public will also be hit with a £150 fine.
Dog owners who don’t pick up their pooch’s mess will be fined £80 on-the-spot.
Fly-tipping fines now £400
Anyone caught fly-tipping – leaving any waste or household items on land or the street without permission, even in the hope someone will take them away for free – will receive a straight £400 fine.
Councillor Anne Pissaridou, chair of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee, said: “We put issuing fines, apart from fly-tipping offences, on hold at the start of lockdown when there were very few people out and about.
“But with restrictions being lifted and more and more people using the seafront and walking around the city, littering is again becoming a problem, so we’ve had to restart issuing fines as a deterrent.”
Fines handed out while social distancing
Another reason fines were put on hold was to ensure officers and the public could maintain social distancing.
However officers will now caution litter louts, take their name and address and send the fine to their home.
Although the litter fine is £150, early payment will reduce the cost to £110. However, non-payment will mean the person being taken to court and almost certainly having to pay a bigger fine as well as court costs.
"No reason or excuse for littering"
Councillor Pissaridou added: “We take no pleasure in issuing fines, but we cannot and will not stand back and let people litter our city, and thereby harm our seas and our environment.
“There are thousands of bins throughout the city so there is no reason or excuse for littering.
“In the unlikely event all the nearby bins are full, people should take their rubbish home with them.”
More information on enviromental enforcement fines can be found on our cityclean webpages.
