'Blitz on unsightly bins' as firms face £1K fines

Councillor Phil Larratt said lines of bins were "a blight on the street scene"

Businesses in a town could face fines for putting bins out at the wrong time of day.

A blitz on "unsightly" bins in Northampton is being proposed by West Northamptonshire Council, because the town centre is undergoing extensive regeneration.

The Conservative-controlled authority said bins could "detract from the enhancements we are striving to deliver".

Firms that break the rules could be fined up to £1,000, the council said.

Regeneration work is already under way on the Market Square and Abington Street and Fish Street, with further schemes due to start in the coming months.

The proposed policy would mean businesses would have to leave their bins out either between 06:00 and 09:00 or between 16:00 and 18:00.

At other times, the bins would have to be "stored appropriately" and "within the business or residential premises".

Broad Street in Northampton marks one boundary of the area the new policy will cover

Under the policy, businesses face "enforcement action" which may include being handed a Section 47 notice regarding bins placement.

If a firm ignores a notice, a £100 fixed penalty fine could be imposed - or the case sent to a magistrates' court, where a maximum fine of £1 ,000 could be handed down.

Councillor Daniel Lister said indiscriminate bin placement had to be tackled

Dan Lister, the council's cabinet member for town centre regeneration, said: “To breathe new life into our town centres, it's essential for businesses, the community, and local authorities to collaborate.

“Revamping areas into flourishing spaces by tackling issues like indiscriminate bin placement is a key aspect of this."

The council said that, during a consultation exercise, 78% of respondents agreed the times when businesses put their bins out should be restricted, and 80% agreed that firms should be held accountable if they left bins out at any other times.

The council added that it was disappointed only 7% of respondents were businesses.

The policy will be discussed at the authority's next cabinet meeting next Tuesday.