Councils to fine anyone caught throwing litter from vehicles

South Gloucestershire Council are urging people to share dashcam, CCTV or mobile footage of people littering out of vehicles

People are being urged to share footage of people littering from vehicles by a council.

The videos will then be used as evidence by South Gloucestershire Council to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) of £100 against the registered keepers of the vehicles.

It is hoped the initiative will reduce litter on roads such as the A4174.

Councillor Leigh Ingham said throwing litter was "completely unacceptable".

"I encourage anyone that has video footage of someone littering from a vehicle to send it in to us for investigation," Cllr Ingham, added.

Both Wiltshire Council and South Gloucestershire Council are welcoming new initiatives to help tackle littering

The new approach by the council will also use professional witness accounts from the police or council officers as evidence.

When an offence is identified, the council will send a notice, advising the vehicle's registered keeper of the vehicle where and when the offence was committed along with the PCN of £100, which reduces to £50 if paid within the first 10 days of issue.

The new approach comes as volunteer litter picking groups in Wiltshire gathered more than 7,500kg of discarded waste this year.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the litter is equivalent to 1,270 bags and has saved the taxpayers in the region of £32,000.

Wiltshire Council has a statutory duty to collect litter and carry out collections on the county's rural roads and verges along the A303 and A36.

Councillor Caroline Thomas said litter was not only an eyesore but "potentially harmful to wildlife and the wider environment"

Shopping trolleys, an office chair, road closure barriers and bollards have also been found dumped in the River Biss through Trowbridge earlier this month.Councillor Caroline Thomas told the BBC litter was "not just a block on our glorious landscapes" but "potentially harmful to wildlife and the wider environment".

"Most people will dispose of their litter in a responsible way but there are just those who don't seem to care," she added.

Ms Thomas said around they spent £1.5m dealing with litter every year and would soon be launching a new initiative dubbed Don't Mess with Wiltshire.

She said a new litter officer and CCTV cameras will be introduced as part of the scheme.