Great Yarmouth litter louts face quadrupled fines
Local leaders hope that it will make them think before they throw in the future
Litter louts in one of Norfolk's coastal boroughs are facing a huge increase in fines, in the hope that it will make them think before they throw in the future.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Conservative-controlled cabinet has agreed to raise Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for environmental offences such as dog fouling, fly-tipping and littering.
Under the new rules people caught dumping waste could be hit with a £1000 fine, an increase of four times the current charge. Meanwhile, litterers face a fine of £250.
Paul Wells, cabinet member for environment and waste, said: “This is a significant increase which will deter future offending.
“We all want to see Great Yarmouth tidied up but the brutal reality is that the council’s services are always going to be reactive.
“It is important we catch people and have strong sanctions to encourage people not to do it in the first place.”
“We get numerous complaints every day”
Despite its tough new stance, some have questioned the council’s ability to turn policy into action.
Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour opposition group, questioned why there had only been 115 fixed penalty notices issued in the last four years.
“Thirty a year does not seem a great number,” he said.
“We get numerous complaints every day.”
Senior officer James Wilson, head of environment and sustainability, explained the threshold of evidence needed to issue a FPN.
“We do know the frustrations of trying to catch people in the act, it is almost impossible and a real challenge.”
He added that residents needed to be encouraged to come forward with information, as this is one of the main ways in which offenders can be caught.
A recent success story saw a member of the public provide footage, recorded via a Ring doorbell, of a dog owner letting their pet foul repeatedly in a public place.
What are the new charges?
Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued for a range of offences like dog fouling, littering and breaking smoking bans in public places.
Over the past four years 115 FPNs have been issued in Great Yarmouth, with just 16pc of these escalating to prosecution. This equates to 80pc of FPNs being paid without ending up in court.
People can also face a lower fine if they pay it off early.
Littering, fly-tipping, graffiti, breaching Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) and Community Protection Notices (CPN) have all become more frequent in the area.
Other offences, such as smoking in a smoke-free place and selling multiple cars on the road, have remained at a similar rate.
The new charges proposed are:
Littering – £250 (£150 for early repayment)
Graffiti – £250 (£150 for early repayment)
Fly-posting – £250 (£150 for early repayment)
Fly-tipping – £1000 (£750 for early repayment)