Fines: How much littering in North Yorkshire could hit you in the pocket
People who litter cigarettes in North Yorkshire could be forced to cough up £500 depending on where they stub out their smokes.
The maximum amount that councils can fine people who litter was increased from £150 to £500 in 2023, and many councils have accordingly raised the size of the fixed penalty notices they issue.
Stubbing out a cigarette in the wrong place in Yorkshire could cost up to £2,500, with the fines issued by some cities almost seven times higher than in others in Yorkshire and the North East.
Based on publicly available information, City of York Council has some of the toughest littering fines in the region.
Fines for littering are £250 if paid within 10 days, £500 for payment within 14 days, while a Magistrates’ Court could impose a fine of £2,500.
In Newcastle, the maximum charge for littering is £2,500, “but in many cases the offender will be given the option of paying a fixed penalty” of £75 and avoiding prosecution, the council’s website states.
Meanwhile, littering and littering from a vehicle comes with a £150 fine in England’s geographically largest local authority, North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
However, NYC reduces the fine, which comes with a statutory maximum £500, to £105 for early payment, according to documents on its website.
On May 1, the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) was approved across nine locations in Scarborough and Whitby, which were identified as sites of significant and persistent littering, anti-social behaviour, crime, and damage to the environment.
The new powers will enable North Yorkshire Council to move people on, issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100, as well as fines of up to £1,000.
Under new rules published by the Government this spring, councils have the power to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £500 for littering, including when litter is thrown from a vehicle.
Unpaid fines double after 28 days, and if the offender can’t be identified, the owner of the vehicle will be held to account.
The Guardian recently reported the case of a London resident who was given a £500 fine for putting a cigarette butt in a refuse sack and highlighted how the size of fines for littering can vary between councils in one region.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council has some of the toughest fines in the region for littering at £200, which can be reduced to £150 if paid within 10 days.
Leeds City Council’s fines are between £80 and £100 for littering, based on publicly available information.
In Hull, dropping cigarette butts can lead to a £150 fixed penalty, which will be reduced to £120 if paid within seven days. However, littering also comes with the threat of prosecution and a maximum penalty of £2,500.
Newcastle Council’s website states: “Litter such as cigarette butts and chewing gum are classed as litter. They are expensive and time-consuming to clean up. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to degrade.
The law was amended in 2005 to specifically include “the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and discarded chewing gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing.”
It adds: “There is also no reason why smokers, who are well aware that smoking will result in waste, cannot carry portable ‘butt bins’ with them or create their own by placing soil or sand in a small tin.”