A freedom of information (FOI) request to Westmorland and Furness Council by a member of the public has revealed the authority issued ‘less than five’ fines in 2023 and 2024 in the Eden area.
Despite a growing volume of litter and flytipping in the area that as well as the council having to clear also falls on local volunteers who give their time to go around collecting litter from roadsides verges and public spaces.
Recent efforts by the Wombling Free Eden group around Penrith on one day collected 128 bags of litter as part of the great British spring clean.
Cllr Archibald previously said: “Littering and fly-tipping issues in some of these areas date back many years and it has been a matter of concern for some time.
“Recent surveys have shown that nationally 6 in 10 people have admitted to dropping litter on the street. As more people are dropping litter, local authorities have less resources to clean it up.”
“We want people to be more informed and have greater understanding of the impact of litter and fly-tipped waste – the impacts on wildlife and the environment, the financial cost on public services and how it makes the place look unattractive.
“We intend to work with communities on targeted litter-picks and street cleaning in the worst affected areas – the first of these happened on Tuesday- and we will be working with schools and young people to help change attitudes and behaviour around littering and fly-tipping.”
“Ultimately, this is largely an issue of a small minority of people’s anti-social behaviour and not taking pride in their local environment.
“The council can take action to clear-up the worst of the mess, but these additional costs are picked up by all taxpayers and it simply isn’t fair that 99.9% of residents in Westmorland and Furness should subsidise the clean-up of mess left by an irresponsible 0.1%.
“We will therefore be looking to step up our enforcement work alongside the clean-ups, to send out a clear message that we will not tolerate this behaviour.’’
The council has legal powers to take enforcement action and impose fines if it has evidence that littering has occurred through deliberate act or failing to take the correct precautions to secure vehicle loads.
Roadside littering is a national problem. Recent research by the National Highways reveals that 65% of drivers who admit to littering have discarded food and drink waste on the roadside.
Westmorland and Furness council said they are encouraging people to take responsibility for their litter and also to take action if they see someone else dropping litter.
Councillor Archibald said: “We would also ask that, if you see a vehicle with an unsecured load dropping waste and litter as it is driving along, report it and provide us with information so that we can investigate and take enforcement action if necessary.’’
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