SENIOR COUNCILLOR'S WARNING TO LITTER LOUTS: YOU WILL BE FINED £100

Ron Shepherd - penalty warning to litter louts

A CRACKDOWN on litter-droppers resulted in fines for almost 600 offenders in the first nine months of this year.

According to North East Lincolnshire Council, enforcement officers are also investigating another 194 motorists for littering from their vehicles.

According to research by Keep Britain Tidy, cigarette butts and other smoking-related items are littered the most. 

These are followed by sweet wrappers, drink bottles and cans and fast-food packaging.

Says NELC cabinet member Cllr Ron Shepherd: "Litter makes the place look a mess, it’s harmful to wildlife and the environment, and it costs a fortune to clean up. 

"If you drop litter, we will fine you £100.

“With 979 litter bins in convenient locations around the borough, you are never far from a bin - if it is full, find another or take your rubbish home with you!

Six reasons why NELC says litter is bad

Cost

North East Lincolnshire Council spends about £1.5 million on street cleansing each year.

Harms children, dogs and birds

Sadly, children, dogs and wild birds  are the main victims when it comes to litter. The RSPCA receive around 5,000 calls a year about animals injured by litter. Children can also cut themselves on broken glass or the sharp edges of a drinks can.

Attracts vermin

 Rats and other pests love litter, especially food waste. If you drop your leftover chips and other food scraps on the ground, you are inviting rats to feast on them.

Pollutes our sea

Litter dropped on the street, on the beach or in a park doesn’t stay there. Rainwater and wind carries plastic, cigarette ends and other litter into streams and rivers, and through drains. Drains lead to the sea. For us, that’s the Humber Estuary and the North Sea. Cigarette filters are made of thousands of toxic ingredients, including arsenic, lead and nicotine, all of which can pollute seas and rivers.

Unsightly

Litter makes the place look a mess.

It’s killing the planet 

The natural environment isn’t equipped to deal with litter. A lot of resources and energy go into making things like plastic water bottles and aluminium drinks cans. If they’re disposed of properly, they can be recycled.