Fines For Littering In Ealing To Nearly Double

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Increase from £80 to £150 for offences including dropping cigarette butts

Kingdom, the private company employed by Ealing Council, will be able to issue on the spot fines of £150 for dropping cigarette butts, dog fouling and fly-posting from next month.

The announcement comes after the government increased the maximum penalty charge that can be given to those caught littering.

Kingdom has been the enforcement agency in the borough for over two years and when they started faced accusations of being heavy handed and were criticised for fining 'soft targets' including a woman who poured coffee down a drain and a pensioner for feeding birds on Haven Green.

Liz Jenner in Hanwell initially received a 'fine' for leaving out additional recycling, it was later cancelled and she received an apology.

She says: '' I do believe people should be fined for littering but the rule needs to apply to everyone and not just the easy to trace soft targets. I wonder why Kingdom are very rarely seen in West Ealing and Hanwell. I suspect they are too busy issuing fines up in Ealing Broadway in order to receive their bonuses.
These fines certainly seem to have had very little impact on the ongoing issues of fly tipping on our streets.''

Councillor Mik Sabiers, cabinet member for environment and highways said: “The vast majority of residents want to see us take tough action against the minority that drop litter and fly-tip on our streets.”

“Increasing the fine for littering to £150 – the maximum allowed by law - will help us make sure it is these offenders and not the local community that bear the cost of keeping our streets and roads clean.

“Everyone has a part to play in helping to keep our streets clean and there is no excuse for dropping litter or cigarette butts, or spitting on the street.

“Remember, a simple fine for littering can escalate into a criminal record and a fine of hundreds of pounds. It’s much easier to simply do the decent thing and put your rubbish and cigarette butts in the bin in the first place.” 

It costs the council almost £3million each year to clean up streets and parks, remove litter and enforce against fly-tipping.

The council says it's working across the borough to crack down on fly-tipping, targeting areas that have experienced sustained levels of illegal rubbish dumping. It involves working with residents, businesses and the wider community to tackle the problem by making it easier to report any witnessed incidents.

Pictures of offenders caught on camera fly-tipping are being displayed locally to help people recognise alleged offenders and ensure they are fined and increased enforcement is also operating in the area.

 

 

 

7th March 2019