Council chiefs to introduce £150 on spot litter fines
LITTERING is on the increase in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Figures issued by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council show that the number of fixed penalties for dropping litter in 2017/18 was 48 compared to 30 in 2016/17 (a 38 per cent increase).
One fixed penalty notice was issued for dog fouling compared to two in the previous year.
However this year between April 1 and August 31, there has already been 51 fixed penalties issued for littering and one for dog fouling.
There were 403 reported fly-tipping incidents in the district in 2017/18 compared to 464 in the previous year.
In 2017/2018, the council received 18 reports that a vehicle had been abandoned.
Now to deter environmental crime, the council’s ruling cabinet has approved a proposal that the authority adopts a fixed maximum penalty of £150 for each offence, including littering, graffiti, fly-posting and unauthorised distribution of free printed matter.
It is also proposed that the council set the ‘lesser amount’ at £100 if paid in 10 days to encourage early payment.
A report to the cabinet by executive director Mark Trillo said: “The Government has introduced new fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping and littering from vehicles.
“It is proposed that the council increases its fixed penalty notice charges and introduces the new powers to tackle fly-tipping and littering from vehicles.
“Littering from vehicles is a problem across the district. Although the council is often able to identify the registered keeper from the vehicle registration, it is not always possible to identify who within the car discarded the litter.
“The Littering From Vehicles Outside London (Keepers: Civil Penalties) Regulations 2018 came into force on April 1, 2018.
“This allows the council, subject to certain conditions, the power to issue a penalty notice to the keeper of the vehicle in respect of any litter discarded from that vehicle.
“Enforcement activity is primarily carried out by the council’s environmental enforcement officers.
“The officers carry out the patrols across the district and often work in isolated areas. There have been a number of incidents in recent years where they have been threatened or assaulted but fortunately such occurrences are rare.
“In response, a new lone worker system is being introduced to manage the risk. This provides the officers with access to a 24/7 monitoring service via an emergency button on their mobile phone with GPS tracking.” Speaking at the council cabinet meeting, councillor Mike Bowen, who has the responsibility for communities, leisure, sports, parks, countryside and housing on the authority said that the report was due to government changes. He said: “The fixed penalty by the council will be increased to £150 for each offence. This will be reduced to £100 if paid within 10 days.”