Litter: Rural Areas
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle littering in rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Local councils have legal powers to take enforcement action against offenders of littering including in rural areas.
Anyone caught littering may be prosecuted in a magistrates’ court, which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 on conviction. Instead of prosecuting, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine) of up to £500.
Local councils also have powers to issue a civil penalty to the keeper of a vehicle from which litter has been thrown. This helps them respond to littering incidents when they cannot identify the specific individual who dropped litter from a vehicle.
To support local councils to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering we have published new Statutory Guidance, Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them. Local councils will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers. The guidance is available: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UK.
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