People who drop litter, fly-tip or dump their household rubbish by public bins in Bath and North East Somerset will now face tough new fines when caught.
From Tuesday, 17th July, anyone caught dropping litter, including cigarette ends, will be handed a £150 Fixed Penalty Notice.
Anyone caught fly-tipping in the area, or disposing of bags of household or business rubbish next to public bins, will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Fine up to £400 or, on summary conviction, a fine of up to £50,000.
Stickers and posters advising people about the hefty new fines are going onto council bins as part the council’s continued work to encourage people not to litter the city, surrounding towns and countryside.
Councillor Bob Goodman, Cabinet Member for Development & Neighbourhoods, said: “Our message could not be clearer – we are watching and when we catch you dropping litter you will get a Fixed Penalty Fine of £150.
“If you are caught fly-tipping then it is £400 and if you fail to pay that then you could end up with a court fine of up to £50,000.
“It really isn’t difficult to find a bin and dispose of your litter and if the bin is full then take your rubbish home and recycle it or put it in the general waste.
“Bath and North East Somerset is a beautiful place and we want residents and visitors to make sure it isn’t spoiled by fly-tipped rubbish and litter.”
The law changed from 1st April to allow all enforcement agencies to fine up to the maximum which is £150 for littering and £400 for fly-tipping.
The law change also means the registered keeper of a vehicle can now be fined for throwing litter. This means it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure they and their passengers don’t throw litter out of their vehicle.
Money from Fixed Penalty Notices is kept by the council to help cover the costs of enforcing and clearing up litter.
If a bin is full, report it on fix.bathnes.gov.uk or and quote the bin location number or call 01225 394041 or www.bathnes.gov.uk/reportit.
