Directory

Access tools

Set Text size

A

|

A

|

A

Set Contrast

A

|

A

|

A

Text only
Translation
Listen

News

Your cigarette butt could cost you £75!

From the 6^th April authorised officers of the Borough of Poole will be able to issue fixed penalty notices to people leaving their litter on the streets of Poole. 

The move is part of the Council’s battle to improve the environment and keep the borough ‘Clean, Green and Safe’. 

130 Council staff, including park wardens have been trained in the new scheme. They can issue Fixed Penalty Notices of £75 to anyone who commits an “enviro-crime” including littering, dog fouling, graffiti, fly-posting or the irresponsible handing out of advertising flyers.

Anyone issued with a fixed penalty notice will have 14 days to pay the £75 fine. If they pay within seven days the fine will be reduced to £50.  Anyone refusing to pay will be taken to court for littering.

An estimated 200 million cigarette butts are dropped every day in the UK and these can take 12 years to biodegrade.

Shaun Robson, Head of Environmental and Consumer Protection Services, said: “We are striving to keep Poole a clean, green and safe Borough, and we will be targeting litter louts in the Borough who do not act responsibly by putting their litter in the bin.”

Councillor Don Collier, Portfolio Holder for the Enviroment, said: “The Borough spends approximately £1.7million pounds on cleansing services. Disposing of litter correctly not only ensures that our town is clean and attractive, it also makes good business sense. We want to make it easy for people to dispose of litter correctly, for that reason we are providing litter bins incorporating cigarette stubbers and free pouches for gum and cigarette butt disposal.”

Officers of Environmental and Consumer Protection have been out and about over the past few weeks raising awareness and giving out the cigarette butt holders and gum pouches. If residents would like a butt holder or gum pouch they can be collected from most Council buildings.

Lucy Magill, Regulatory Services Manager, Environmental and Consumer Protection Services, tel. 01202 261736