Littering Fines Drop 46% In Barking And Dagenham
The latest figures show 239 penalties were handed out last year in Barking and Dagenham but despite fines dropping, the fine itself has doubled.
The number of fines issued for littering in Barking and Dagenham has nearly halved since 2014 while the cost for getting caught has doubled.
A total of 239 fines were issued by Barking and Dagenham borough council last year compared to 443 in 2014.
Fines for anyone caught dropping litter rose from £75 to £150 on June 3 last year.
In the past five years, the most fixed penalty notices were handed out in 2016, with 1,189 fines dished out.
Cllr Margaret Mullane, the cabinet member for enforcement, said: “It is one of the council’s priorities to have a clean and tidy borough that we can all be proud to say we live and work in. Unfortunately, there will always be a small minority that spoil it for everyone else by dropping litter and fly-tipping.
“We are very aware that there are certain hotspots in the borough that are faced with these issues more frequently and we are determined to crack down on this disrespectful behaviour.”
She added it is “quite right” that the council has spent £3.27m on keeping the streets in Barking and Dagenham clean since April 1, 2019.
“At a time when our budget from central government has been slashed in half over the past 10 years, we cannot put more and more resources into clearing up after the minority who break the rules the rest of us follow.
“Therefore where we can we will penalise people for littering, we will investigate fly-tips to find evidence to catch and fine those responsible,” she said.
The council also posts Wall of Shame videos online to deter the public from dumping waste and for residents to help identify perpetrators.
The findings were sourced by media literacy charity The Student View in a Freedom of Information request submitted to Barking and Dagenham Borough Council.