Latest news with #littering
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'No excuse' warning to litter louts as fines up to £1,000 planned
Litter louts have been warned 'there's no excuse for ruining our streets' as penalties of up to £1,000 could be introduced for environmental offences. Liverpool Council's cabinet is to consider plans to hike up fines for those caught littering, fly-tipping and leaving graffiti when they meet next week. With more than £12m spent each year on cleaning litter and fly-tipping across the city, the local authority is also expected to sign off on a plan to contract a firm to crackdown on environmental crime. Subject to agreement, a three year deal could be agreed with an as yet unnamed company to punish those who fail to keep the city clean. Additionally, the amount that litter louts pay for their offences is also poised to increase significantly. Ahead of that key decision, Laura Robertson-Collins, cabinet member for communities, neighbourhoods and streetscene, has fired a message to those who think it's acceptable to leave their rubbish behind. READ MORE: Comedian 'not welcome at any venues' run by Liverpool club after 'vile' comment READ MORE: Family issue plea after man, 39, goes missing in Peru Between February 2024 and January this year, Liverpool Council received 3,608 requests for street cleansing and 16,683 requests to remove fly tipping, including 3,521 reports of dumped black refuse bags, 3,124 pieces of furniture, 531 shopping trollies and 1016 fridge/freezers. More than 100 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued in an eight month period generated £10,000 in fines from offenders. These will now be increased to reflect the city's new approach. Penalties are proposed to increase for litter and graffiti with a tiered approach towards fly-tipping offences. Breaches of public space protection orders (PSPO) will also be subject to harsher penalties. Should senior councillors agree, the charge for dropping litter will increase to £150, up from £80, with an early payment option of £100 if paid within 14 days. Unwelcome graffiti and fly-posting is also facing sterner punishment, doubling to £200. A tiered approach is being considered which seeks to acknowledge the seriousness of the offence and the estimated cost of removing fly tipped waste. New levels of penalty will be based on a criteria identified by investigating officers, with the dumping of up to three bags equating to a £500 fine. More than three bags but less than a van load would cost £750 while a load equivalent to a light commercial van like a Ford Transit or 'clear evidence of waste being commercial, or business waste transported by an unlicensed waste carrier' would land those responsible with a £1,000 penalty. Anyone who fails to pick up after their dog will also face sterner punishment, with the penalty for not picking up dog mess increasing to £100. A PSPO was introduced across the city in November 2022 to protect Liverpool's green spaces. Cllr Robertson-Collins said: 'Residents have told us that tackling environmental offences must be a priority, and we are committed to taking action. Fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling are a blight on our city and there's no excuse for ruining our streets. 'These tougher penalties send a strong message that it will not be tolerated. Liverpool is a fantastic city that we should be proud to call home, and we all need to do our part in looking after it.' An additional £1.5m was approved during March's budget council meeting to increase environmental enforcement. The council said high levels of litter, fly tipping, poorly managed household and commercial waste make communities 'feel unloved and forgotten.' Cabinet documents outlined how the £80 fine level had not changed for a number of years and fixed penalty levels in Liverpool have remained static during that time. The report added: 'The evidence suggests, particularly for the offence of fly tipping, which is increasing year on year, the level does not act as an effective deterrent to committing the offence.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Liverpool dog fouling fines could rise to £100
Fines for anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog in Liverpool could rise to £100 as part of a fresh crackdown on littering in pet owners currently face fixed penalty notices of £ City Council has said it costs more than £12m a year to clean up littering and fly-tipping and the increased penalty is part of a raft of new proposals to offset the authority is looking at deploying an external company to enforce fines for such offences under a three-year contract. The council's cabinet is looking to secure a deal with an as yet unnamed company, with a tiered approach towards fly-tipping offences. Should senior councillors agree at a meeting on 3 June, the charge for dropping litter will increase to £150, up from £80, with an early payment option of £100 if paid within 14 additional £1.5m was approved during March's budget council meeting to increase environmental enforcement. Cabinet documents outlined how the £80 fine level had not changed for years and fixed penalty levels had remained static."The evidence suggests, particularly for the offence of fly-tipping, which is increasing year on year, the level does not act as an effective deterrent to committing the offence," the report and fly-posting are also facing sterner punishments, doubling to £200 under the of public space protection orders will also be subject to harsher penalties as part of the proposals, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rotherham: New clean-up crew will target fly-tipping and litter
Rotherham Council is doubling its clean-up team, with new jobs created to tackle fly-tipping and follows a £307,000 investment in its 2025-26 budget aimed at making the South Yorkshire borough number of staff dedicated to maintaining rural verges and main roads will rise from four to eight.A report set to go before the council's cabinet on 9 June says the additional staff will allow for more regular litter-removal, better identification of fly-tipping hotspots, and increased intelligence-sharing with enforcement officers. There will also be two new performance management officers, to track the service and develop long-term litter-busting roles are expected to begin in July or August, with the cost of new vehicles, uniforms and equipment all factored into the budget, according to the Local Democracy Reporting had 5,689 fly-tipping incidents in 2022, with 2,070 classed as large or multiple are 326 roadside verges in the borough which are currently cleared of litter and cut once a year, between May and October. However "as a result of the investment, the capacity in this area will be doubled," the report concludes.A progress update will be presented to the council's cabinet in April 2026. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Lake District National Park pays influencers for 'be kind' drive
A national park is paying social media influencers to help discourage people from fly camping and Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has set aside £6,000 for a pilot project to work with influencers to spread the message to be "Lake District Kind".Emily Rushworth, digital content officer at the LDNPA, said influencers had large audiences which the park was not normally able to reach."This as an opportunity to educate more people about how to visit the Lake District responsibly, such as by leaving no trace, parking responsibly and avoiding social media 'hidden gem' hotspots," she said. The LDNPA said more than 18 million people visited the Lake District each year, but staff were tackling regular issues such as littering, disposable BBQs being left and fly about the Lake District are incredibly popular on platforms such as Instagram, with about 6.4m tags for the location used, compared to 2.4m for the Peak District and 1.9m for Northumberland. Ms Rushworth said influencers were being "supportive" of their campaign."Some [are] offering significantly reduced partnership costs as they believe in the importance of spreading the Lake District Kind messaging as far and wide as possible."Simon Hill, visitor management lead for the LDNPA, said the issues were not only a "blemish on the beautiful scenery", but also a threat to habitat and wildlife."The Lake District isn't just a beautiful holiday location, its landscape is home to thousands and is relied upon for livelihoods," he authority is also displaying digital signs on key routes into the national park and working with other bodies including councils and the police. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Independent Singapore
7 days ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
HDB residents at Bukit Batok lose sleep over noisy late-night litterbugs
SINGAPORE: A group of people is reportedly bothering residents with their loud noises at night at a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block at Bukit Batok. A Tuesday morning (May 27) report in Shin Min Daily News said that not only does the group that gathers at the void deck of the block at night bother others with their noise, they also leave alcohol bottles and other types of rubbish, such a food packaging, in their wake. This is not a new problem for the residents of Block 460B Bukit Batok West Avenue 9, who first encountered the issue last year. Unfortunately, the laughing and talking that the group does at night is so loud that it becomes challenging for people nearby to sleep, one 60-year-old resident told the Chinese daily. 'They talked and laughed loudly, and when they left, the ground was full of cigarette butts, wine bottles, food packaging and other garbage,' the report quotes him as saying, expressing concerns over cleanliness and hygiene in the area. Evidence of the nightly gatherings was also seen by a journalist from Shin Min Daily News, including alcohol and soft drink bottles, cups, and plastic bags. Worse yet, there were also cigarette butts scattered in the vicinity of the void deck. Although both the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Chua Chu Kang Town Council have put up signs in the area reminding people not to litter, the problem appears to persist. Both signs carry warnings of enforcement action for those who refuse to comply, with the notice from the Town Council saying that first-time violators are required to pay as much as $1,000 in fines, and those who persist in offending could be issued a Corrective Work Order (CWO). Moreover, the Town Council told Mustshare News that it has referred the issue to the police and is closely monitoring the situation. Netizens commenting on the issue underlined the need for close surveillance in order to solve the problem once and for all. ' Install a CCTV camera in that area. Call the police, and from there they can identify the group for any illegal gathering,' a Facebook user suggested. Another underlined that since personnel from the Town Council and the NEA don't work at night, the best way forward is for police to be involved more. One commenter, however, said that they have a similar problem. 'Same problem at Tampines… teenagers play guitar, and sing, and eat till late… get drunk and noisy till morning. Asked MP to remove tables and chairs – not possible because old people need them. But when I monitored, not many old people sat there.' /TISG Read also: Man says his inconsiderate neighbour has been very noisy for the past 4 months, constantly hammering and drilling in the morning and evening
