Littering is a crime.
Littering is anti-social and creates an unpleasant environment for everyone.
According to Keep Britain Tidy they say that two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day, costing tax payers over one billion a year for street cleaning.
Litter can be anything that is dropped or thrown and include things like -
- chewing gum
- cigarette butts
- a range of food and drink related packaging
It takes many years to degrade, causing harm to wildlife, making areas look uncared for and in the case of food related litter, attract pests such as pigeons and rats.
How to report littering
You can report people littering to us using our online form.
We will investigate and take action against persons responsible for littering, if enough evidence is available to -
- identify and locate the person responsible
- registration of the vehicle (if applicable)
- you are willing to provide a witness statement
If the littering is from a vehicle, we will contact the registered keeper and they will -
- pay a fixed penalty
- if they were not the person responsible for the littering offence, confirm the details of the person responsible
You cannot use this form to request -
- the installation of additional street litter bins
- litter bins to be emptied
- the removal of litter
- help to organise a litter pick
- repair or replacement of existing street litter bins
- to install stickers, signs or stencils
The Law
It is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for any person who -
- throws down
- drops
- deposits and leave litter
On any land such as -
- public land
- open spaces
- highways
- any private land to which the public have access with or without charge
Enforcement patrols
Enforcement patrols are carried out by our contractor LA Support Limited who will be wearing uniforms and identity badges (to confirm they have been authorised by us) and have body worn cameras.
Our contractor in response to littering offences will approach persons responsible and confirm a recording is taking place on their body worn camera. The contractor will identify themselves and confirm the reasons for speaking to any person approached. The enforcement contractor is authorised to issue fixed penalty notices on behalf of us.