Ex-rugby international Kenny Logan calls for increase in litter fines
- Published
Kenny Logan said littering was "disrespectful" to the country
Former Scottish rugby international Kenny Logan is calling on the Scottish Parliament to increase the maximum fine for littering to £1,000.
The Clean Up Britain campaigner said widespread littering was "disrespectful" to the country.
A fixed penalty notice for littering in Scotland is currently £80.
Mr Logan told BBC Scotland the issue would be taken much more seriously if the potential fine was higher.
He is petitioning Scottish politicians that the maximum fine should be £1,000 or 100 hours of supervised community litter picking.
"There are other parts of the world that are cleaner than we are. We're one of the worst in the Western world. Our litter is horrific," he said.
"It's harming the countryside, it's harming animals and it's not very nice to look at."
Mr Logan said punishments for dropping litter in other parts of the world were far more severe, comparing Scotland with California in the US where fines can reach $1,000 (£770).
Clean Up Britain is hoping to gain cross-party support at Holyrood in its campaign to raise fines.
Many areas reported an increase in littering as lockdown laws eased in June
The former rugby player told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime with John Beattie programme that it cost "billions" of pounds to clear up the UK's litter problem and said we should be "proud of our country" rather than littering it.
"All we're doing is making this country dirty and more grimy with litter every day by just throwing it out the window," he added.
Many local authorities in Scotland reported problems with littering as lockdown was eased at the beginning of the summer. There were similar issues across many other parts of the UK.