Wiltshire Council increasing fines for flytipping and littering
The authority say it's a deterrent and not a 'money-making exercise'
Littering and fly tipping fines in Wiltshire are to increase from next week, following new Government guidelines.
The Council say putting up fines acts as a deterrent.
The fine for fly tipping is going up to £1,000, increasing from £400.
Penalties for littering will rise from £150 to £500.
There'll also be no discounts for payments made quickly.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Flooding, said:
“We increased the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) we issued for fly-tipping by 118% in 2023, but whenever we issue a fly-tipping FPN, people always tell us that the fines should be higher to deter further environmental crimes.
“Thanks to changes in Government legislation, we can now raise the FPN rates, with a fine of £1,000 for anyone who is caught fly-tipping in Wiltshire. For more serious offences, we will prosecute fly-tippers rather than issue an FPN, and anyone found guilty in court could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment.
“This isn’t a money-making exercise, as all funds raised through FPNs have to be invested back into the service to catch more fly-tippers.
“We have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling fly-tipping, including employing more enforcement staff to catch criminals, using new technologies such as covert cameras, and further promoting our award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign.
“As part of our Business Plan commitment, we’ll continue to do all we can to fight the scourge of fly-tipping in Wiltshire – and these increased fines will help us to do that.
“Any household or business that is paying someone to take their waste away must ensure they have a valid waste carriers licence, record the vehicle details of the people collecting waste and get a receipt or waste transfer note.”