Litter is unsightly and dropping it is illegal. We take a tough line on litter by enforcing the law against anyone caught spoiling our town.
If you drop litter in public you risk prosecution, with a maximum fine in court. Prosecution can be avoided by paying a fixed penalty fine, which can be reduced if paid within 10 days.
Litter on the street
Certain kinds of businesses are associated with large amounts of litter on the street, particularly takeaways and shops selling food and drink. Where such litter is a significant problem we'll take action by serving a Street Litter Control Notice on the person running the premises. The notice sets rules that all land within 100 metres of the front of the premises must be kept free of litter.
Failing to comply with a Street Litter Control Notice is an offence, which may result in a maximum fine in court. Prosecution can be avoided by paying a fixed penalty fine, which is reduced if paid within 10 days.
Litter Clearing Notices
Windblown litter can accumulate in places like hedgerows and courtyards. This can be unsightly, and we can deal with it using a Litter Clearing Notice which is served on the occupier of the land affected by the litter.
The Litter Clearing Notice gives the person on whom it is served at least 28 days to clear the litter, and to keep it clean thereafter. Failure to comply with a Litter Clearing Notice is an offence with a maximum fine. Prosecution can be avoided by paying a fixed penalty fine, which is reduced if paid within 10 days.
Report
You can let us know when cleaning or litter picking is needed in a specific area using Report It.
You'll need to tell us whether the location is a street or an alley. You'll also need to give us additional information, like whether the litter includes broken glass and/or dog fouling.
Please note, our response may be delayed if the weather is bad.