Tough stance by BCP Council will see fines of £150 for littering

From 20 March on-the-spot fines will be introduced across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to help tackle the environmental crime of littering.
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If an individual is caught littering in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, an enforcement officer from Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) will serve a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £150, which will be reduced to £75 if paid within 14 days.

WISE has been awarded the contract to carry out littering enforcement across the BCP area.
The contract is cost-neutral to the council. It will see a percentage of each fine issued paid to BCP Council to be reinvested into littering prevention services.

FPNs can be issued for dropping litter of any kind, including sweet wrappers, crisp packets, chewing gum, cigarette butts and discarded items from vehicles.

Councillor Bobbie Dove, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Regulatory Services, said: “This new approach is a direct and proactive response to the feedback we’ve received from residents who are tired of seeing people littering in this beautiful part of the country. Littering is a crime, and I’m saddened that a small minority of people think it is acceptable to drop litter across our town and district centres, greenspaces and beaches.

“We know more about our impact on the environment than ever before, and that’s why we must take a stronger stance to protect our local area. We know that small items of rubbish, like crisp packets and plastic bottles, take decades to decompose and leave toxins in the ground for many years after. We need to protect the BCP region for future generations, so we hope that issuing fines will be a strong deterrent to those who think it acceptable to drop litter.”