Litter – you said, we're doing

There’s less than a week to go before litter louts in Gloucester start facing on the spot fines.

The ‘amnesty’ is almost over is the warning from Gloucester City Council which launched a major publicity campaign almost a month ago.

From the end of the month anyone caught dropping litter or allowing their dogs to foul public spaces will face fines of up to £80. And if they refuse to pay they could face court action with even stiffer penalties.

The action is in response to the council’s ‘You said, we did’ campaign where residents said they wanted cleaner streets with a purge on litter and dog fouling.

And it follows a clamp down on flytipping around the city already being carried out by council staff.

Councillor Steve Morgan, cabinet member for the environment, commented:
“ We have spent the last few weeks warning and informing the public about this campaign. But the amnesty is now almost over. From the end of the month people who litter our streets will have to pay a stiff price.

“ We spend £1 million a year keeping Gloucester clean. That’s money that could be better spent.

“ We need to be very clear about this. Cigarette butts and chewing gum are litter. So is the whole range of other material that we constantly collect from our streets from discarded take away meals, to drink cans and crisp packets. Dog mess is dangerous and unsightly – and we will not tolerate flytipping.

“ This will be a zero tolerance campaign. If you drop litter you will have to pay. We want a 21st century city of which we can all be proud. We don’t want a minority of people despoiling it for us.”

End