CCTV leads Council crackdown on litterbugs

 

A Bastwell and Daisyfield councillor has welcomed a newly-installed CCTV camera at a notorious littering hot-spot and warned offenders that they could face a fine of up to £150.

Councillor Shaukat Hussain, who is also Assistant Executive Member for Environment has long campaigned for action in the area and his efforts have now been rewarded with new state-of-the-art camera aimed at deterring would-be litterers and fly-tippers who have ‘blighted the Ash Street car park area of Bastwell for too long’.

The camera – provided by the Council’s Envirocrime team – captures any vehicle coming into the car park or area and will be complemented by a new ‘litter from vehicles’ pilot scheme being operated by the Protection and Environment Health team. Under the scheme, if there is evidence to show that litter was thrown from a vehicle, the registered keeper will receive a fine regardless of who actually committed the littering.

Councillor Hussain said:

We have had a problem with anti-social behaviour in this area for some time now: particularly with littering and particularly with littering from vehicles.

There are many community groups who conduct regular litter picks because they simply wish to live in a clean environment.

We have tried to educate people, including distributing leaflets locally, and we have many local businesses on board with us.

I think these cameras will help deter those culprits littering, be it from vehicles or otherwise. This behaviour has blighted the Ash Street car park area of Bastwell for too long.

However, those that aren’t deterred by the cameras can be assured that they are simply not a gimmick and that any recorded evidence of anti-social behaviour, including littering and, of course, fly-tipping, will be followed up by the Council using powers that the law offers us, including a fine of up to £150 or ultimately even prosecution.