Fly-tippers and litter bugs to face heftier fines

The council said taxpayers were paying for the clean-up of fly-tipping

Dropping a cigarette butt could costs litter bugs £200 under a new council fines policy.

Blaby District Council is planning an overhaul of its fines for fly-tipping, littering, graffiti and fly-posting from 1 April 2025.

The authority is able to increase the current fines due to changes in the law, and its cabinet executive agreed the rise on Monday.

Councillor Les Phillimore, portfolio holder for housing, community and environmental services, said tougher fines were being introduced in the district as part of work to deter offenders as taxpayers were paying for the clean-up.

Litter louts will also see fines increased from £150, to up to £400, depending on the number of items dropped.

Fixed penalty notices for single items, such as cigarette butts, will be £200.

Previously, those caught fly-tipping were fined £400, but the new fines could see tippers slapped with a £800 fine for dumping business waste or £500 for household waste. The fixed penalty notices would be reduced to £600 and £300 if paid early.

Graffiti and fly-posting fines will double, each increasing from £150 to £300, reduced to £200 if repaid early.

Educating people

Phillimore said: "There is no excuse for environmental crimes,

"Every time you drop a piece of litter, dump items or graffiti on a wall, you’re leaving the cost of the clean-up to taxpayers.

“With an increase in the maximum fines we can levy, we're introducing these tougher fines to also help recoup some of the money it costs us to investigate and clean up after environmental criminals.

"We're committed to educating people on correctly disposing of waste and keeping our streets clean, but when we need to, we issue fixed penalty notices to deter offenders too."