Government to double litter fines but gypsies still get off

New steps to almost double fines for fag end tossers outside local pubs 
 from April next year – from the current limit of £80 up to £150 will not touch Orangemen or Travellers in Southport. 

 The government want local councils to clamp down, deter and punish the worst anti-social rubbish rogues who continue to drop rubbish, however Sefton Council will continue to focus on fining ‘soft targets’ in order to avoid hassle from the biggest culprits. Sefton’s litter team will continue to be deployed well away from Southport on the days the Council knows the mess will be most.

Meanwhile, Landlords and tenants alike will continue to be encouraged to dump black plastic bags on the pavements of Eastbank Street to encourage rats, seagulls and pigeons to spread the trash across Southport’s roads to encourage visitors.

Cleaning up our streets and countryside currently costs the taxpayer almost £800 million a year. 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. But local residents are sceptical about whether the people who make the biggest mess will ever be touched.The government are saying that these fines should not be abused simply as a means of raising money,but of course they also say exactly the same thing about the speed cameras on the road to Preston.

Environment minister Thérèse Coffey says:

“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.”