Fly-tippers and litterbugs to face stiffer penalties

By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter

Charges for fly-tipping and littering may be significantly hiked to discourage offending.

From July, residents living in Hammersmith and Fulham could be paying almost double the current charge for littering offences, and up to five-times as much for fly-tipping.

Councillors are due to vote on the move, recommended by council officers, at a cabinet meeting on Monday. The Fixed Penalty Notices charges (FPNs) for littering and fly-tipping were last set in December 2017.

At that time, the FPN for littering was established at £80, with an early repayment amount of £60, while fly-tipping was £200, or £150 if paid early.

Under the proposed increases, the maximum permitted charge for littering would rise to £150, with an early repayment amount of £100, and fly-tipping to £1,000, with the early charge set at £500.

The council is also looking to introduce a new charge, for breaches of the Household Waste Duty of Care, at a cost of £400, or £250 if paid early.

Cases which would fall under this include when someone is found to have sent their household waste to a person at a site which does not have an exemption or a permit, or when fly-tipped waste can be traced back to someone who is found “to have failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that they transferred the waste to an authorised person”.

In documents published ahead of the meeting, officers wrote the increased FPNs, plus the new charge, are intended to discourage littering and waste dumping.

“The increased FPNs will contribute towards the cost of removing litter and fly-tips and taking enforcement action,” they wrote. “Dumped waste can also present health and safety risks to the community and the environment.

“Tackling waste offences like littering and fly-tipping effectively is important in order to protect our environment from pollution and harm, prevent vermin infestations and to keep the community safe and healthy by managing public health risks.”

Earlier this year, Hammersmith and Fulham council was shown to have slashed fly-tipping offences by a higher percentage than anywhere else in the country between 2021/22 and 2022/23.

Government data showed how the local authority had reduced the number of cases by 32.6 per cent.

Councillor Stephen Cowan, leader of the Labour-run administration, said: “Making our streets cleaner and more beautiful is central to everything we do. That’s why we have taken a wide range of actions to stop fly-tipping which is why we’re getting such excellent results.

“We will always be vigilant as we strive to make Hammersmith and Fulham the best place to live and work in London.”

Picture: Pixabay/Coombesy