Fly-tippers could now be fined £1,000 across West Northamptonshire as council more than doubles maximum penalty

Fly-tippers could now be fined £1,000 across West Northamptonshire, as the council has more than doubled the maximum penalty for a number of environmental crimes.

From today (February 1), people who illegally drop litter, dump items by fly-tipping, graffiti and do not follow their household duty of care will face higher fines.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has rolled out increased fines for environmental crime after the Government laid out a statutory instrument increasing the upper limits for various fixed penalty notices (FPNs), to “help strengthen councils in their fight against waste crime”.

In West Northamptonshire the increases are as below:

• The maximum amount those caught fly-tipping could be fined will increase from £400 to £1,000
• The maximum amount those who litter or graffiti could be fined will increase from £150 to £500.
• The maximum amount those who breach their household waste duty of care could be fined will increase from £400 to £600.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Engagement and Regulatory Services, said: “Fly-tipping and other environmental crimes are unacceptable and impact every one of us in our communities. They spoil our streets, parks and open spaces, create an environmental hazard, and the clean-up costs and work involved to remove waste place a significant financial burden both on our council and on private landowners.

“Through the hard work of our environmental crime team, we have made a head start on creating a cleaner community for everyone and the increased penalty for these crimes further supports our commitment to tackling this.”

Nationally, some councils are adopting these new fines now, while some will follow in April.