Local MP Mark Pawsey has welcomed increased fines for littering and fly-tipping set out in the Prime Minister’s Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan.
The plan was launched in March 2023 and will enable local councils to take tougher action against those who commit environmental crimes including littering, graffiti and household waste offences. From the end of this month, the upper limit of fixed penalty notices for littering, graffiti and fly-posting offences will increase from £150 to £500; for household waste duty of care offences from £400 to £600; and for fly-tipping offences the maximum fine will more than double from £400 to £1,000.
This will crack down on some of the worst littering and ensure that local authorities have the flexibility to take proportionate and effective enforcement action. In addition, the Government is consulting on ringfencing the money raised from these increased fines, so that it is used to fund enforcement and clean-up activities – meaning that those who blight our streets and open spaces with litter will be directly contributing to cleaning it up.
Speaking about the Government’s announcement, Mark commented:
“Littering and fly-tipping is utterly unacceptable and there is no excuse for it. It is really damaging to our sense of community and blights the environment, and those who litter or fly-tip should be appropriately punished. I therefore welcome the Government’s increase in fines and the proposals to ring-fence the revenue raised from these penalties in order to deliver even better enforcement.”
Mark continued:
“I know that Rugby Borough Council works hard on keeping our public spaces clean and tidy and works locally with the community and other organisations to tackle littering. I also know that in order to address unacceptable instances of fly-tipping, Rugby Borough Council has invested in drone technology to identify sites where litter is dumped offenders and I hope that they will take advantage of these new powers that the Government has provided.”