Move to clamp down on litter lout motorists

 

Cheshire East Council is backing moves to clamp down on litter lout motorists.

Millions of pounds of council taxpayers’ money is being wasted dealing with the problem nationwide because of a loophole in the law, council leaders warn.
Town halls across Britain want to be able to take action against the registered owner of a vehicle from which rubbish is thrown – even if no one will admit to it – as they can with offences of speeding and fly-tipping.
Currently, if a council officer reports litter being dumped from a moving vehicle, a fine can be posted to the owner but, if they deny the offence and no one else comes forward, the authority must prove in court who littered.

This difficult and expensive process means most councils cannot pursue the case, especially as past court penalties have been less than the original fine and defendants not ordered to pay costs.
Cheshire East Council is backing the Local Government Association’s call for the Government to change the law to redress the balance.
Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “We see no reason why council taxpayers money should end up footing the bill for clearing up after these lazy and anti-social litter louts.

“Our roads are blighted with takeaway wrappers, empty bottles and cigarette ends but councils are hamstrung when it comes to taking action against thoughtless motorists who drop rubbish. As well as being unsightly, road litter is costly and difficult and dangerous to remove, as it puts our clean-up staff at risk from oncoming traffic.
“At a time when the council has to provide vital services to residents on increasingly tight budgets, this is an expense we can ill afford. Being able to crack down on this problem will mean more money will be available to plough into vital frontline services, like care for the elderly, protecting vulnerable children, repairing roads and keeping our streets safe.
“Littering is environmental vandalism – it’s unpleasant and unacceptable and undermines the fantastic work of our cleansing teams and community groups. When you get a speeding ticket or fly-tipping fine, the owner of the vehicle can be prosecuted if they don’t hand over details of the offender – so why not for littering too?”
Cheshire East Council spent £2.8m on street cleaning in its first financial year. This figure includes mechanical sweeping, manual litter picking, emptying bins, removal of fly-tipping, fly-posters and graffiti and the removal of glass, needles and hazardous products.

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.
More than 100 councils have told the LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, they want a change in the law.

The most appropriate legislation would be to make the owner or keeper of the vehicle responsible for littering offences, unless they can prove it was someone else.