Councillor supports litter fines proposal

Councillor Greg Couzens has welcomed the Local Government Association's plans to fine drivers who throw litter from their vehicles

A Rochdale councillor has expressed his support regarding the Local Government Associations proposal to be able to fine drivers who throw litter from their vehicles.

Councillor Greg Couzens welcomed the idea, when he said: “I fully support the recommendation.

“Local authorities are struggling to keep up with the ever increasing cost of cleaning up.”

Millions of pounds of council taxpayers’ money is being wasted dealing with litter lout motorists because of a loophole in the law, council leaders are warning.

Councillor Couzens added: “Millions of pounds are spent each year, could you imagine what better use this money could go to.”

Town halls across the UK want to be able to take action against the registered keeper of a vehicle from which rubbish is thrown if no one will admit to it, in a system similar to speeding and flytipping.

Currently if a council officer reports litter being dumped from a moving vehicle a fine can be posted to the keeper, but if they deny the offence and no one else comes forward the authority must prove in court who littered.

Such a difficult and expensive process means most councils cannot pursue the case, especially as past court penalties have been less than the original fine and the defendant was not ordered to pay costs.

The Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, is calling for Government to change the law to redress the balance.

Councillor Gary Porter, Chairman of the LGA’s Environment Board, said: “Why should hundreds of millions of pounds of council taxpayers money be spent every year clearing up after these lazy litter louts. The nation’s roads are blighted with fast-food wrappers, cigarette butts and empty bottles, but councils are hamstrung when it comes to taking action against thoughtless motorists dropping rubbish. As well as being unsightly, road litter is difficult, costly and dangerous to remove as it requires staff to stand on or by the side of a carriageway putting them at risk from oncoming traffic.

“At a time when councils are having to provide vital services to residents on increasingly stretched budgets, this is an expense they can ill afford. Being able to crackdown on this issue will mean more money available to plough into frontline services like care for the elderly, protecting vulnerable children and keeping the streets safe.

"Littering is environmental vandalism – it’s unpleasant, unnecessary and unacceptable. When you get a speeding ticket or flytipping fine, the keeper of the vehicle can be prosecuted if they don’t hand over details of the offender, so why not for littering too?”
A Keep Britain Tidy study found roads and verges are some of the most littered parts of the country. The research showed 22 per cent of lorry drivers and 20 per cent of all motorists admitted to throwing rubbish from their vehicles in the previous six months. 

Offenders are generally only fined if the vehicle is stationary and the littering is seen by a council officer who immediately issues a fine, or if they admit to it on receiving a fixed penalty notice by post.