fines for dropping cigarettes in Brixton, near the station

[Robert Poste's Child]

All bodily fluids, hopefully.

[bobbsy]

rendelharris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> They will call the police - seen it happen in

> Brixton. Failure to give your details is a

> criminal offence.

>

> On a sidenote, does dropping a butt down a grating

> - storm drains etc - constitute littering (I mean

> legally)?

Call the police? I guess that it's much more pleasant for the police to come to charge a litter bug than a serious crime. And for arguments sake - would the theoretical litterbug wait around for the police to come? I find it all a bit ridiculous.

[Earl Aelfheah]

bobbsy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rendelharris Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> >

> > They will call the police - seen it happen in

> > Brixton. Failure to give your details is a

> > criminal offence.

> >

> > On a sidenote, does dropping a butt down a

> grating

> > - storm drains etc - constitute littering (I

> mean

> > legally)?

>

> Call the police? I guess that it's much more

> pleasant for the police to come to charge a litter

> bug than a serious crime. And for arguments sake -

> would the theoretical litterbug wait around for

> the police to come? I find it all a bit

> ridiculous.

That's when they get the helicopters out.

[Earl Aelfheah]

When we were kids we all had the full name, address and date of birth of one of our ex-classmates (he'd moved school) memorised. If ever we were asked for our details we'd reel it off without hesitation. He must have quite the record by now.

[bobbsy]

haha, yes that's kind of what I'm getting at...I can't imagine too many people give their real name, or don't just walk off and ignore the council warden - they are not allowed to restrain you. if police are keeping them company to enforce it, then it is (IMHO) a waste of police resources.

[rendelharris]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rendelharris Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > intexasatthe moment Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Where does dropping chewing gum come in to

> the

> > > scheme of things ? In my book a worse offence

> .

> >

> > Same fine - harder to catch though I assume as

> the

> > charmers just spit it out as they walk, so the

> > warden would have to be looking in the right

> place

> > at the right time.

>

> They'll stick it to the underneath of seats etc.

> :)

>

> What about spitting then ?

Unfortunately not - yet. Every London borough has the right to bring in a bylaw banning spitting, but only a few have done so. Can't be soon enough.

[ianr]

> The fines for dropping cigarettes have been around for at least a couple of years now.

Since at least 1991, by virtue of ss.87-88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/43/part/IV. Section 98(5A) was added in 2005, to leave no doubt:

98(5A) "Litter" includes

(a) the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and

(b) discarded chewing-gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing.

There are archived articles in Newsbank featuring complaints about FPNs for cigarette ends well before the 2005 amendment. I also came across and downloaded an Independent On Sunday feature article of 4 July 2003 entitled "Fighting the dirty war - What will it take to keep Britain tidy? Perhaps you'd think twice about flicking that cigarette butt out of your car window if you knew it could result in a pounds 50 penalty. JULIA STUART patrols the grimy streets of south London [southwark, to you and me] with the man they call the Enforcer". Access via http://infoweb.newsbank.com/signin/LondonBoroughSouthwark or Southwark libraries webpages, https://www.southwark.gov.uk/libraries/elibrary/emagazines-and-enewspapers (have your Southwark library card number handy).

[Siduhe]

  Quote

Unfortunately not - yet. Every London borough has the right to bring in a bylaw banning spitting, but only a few have done so. Can't be soon enough.

Lambeth may be one that has - or at least it's finding ways to fine for spitting under the existing laws.

http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/spitting-slapped-with-instant-fine-in-lambeth-in-new-tough-approach-to-antisocial-behaviour/

[jimlad48]

To be honest, if you can afford to smoke these days, you can probably afford the fine. It always struck me as an astronomically expensive pasttime.

[Earl Aelfheah]

It's not just cigarettes, it's any kind of littering - except dog poo, for which the fine is only ?50 bizarrely. Personally I'd rather pick up someone's sweet wrapper than their canine's excretions.

[Angelina]

?80 is a day's wages for many people.

Sweepers clean the streets, so let's get some perspective...

Why are the authorities not chasing motorists who use mobile phones, drive without insurance, fail to stop at crossings etc.

(as a start)

[rendelharris]

Angelina Wrote:

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> ?80 is a day's wages for many people.

>

> Sweepers clean the streets, so let's get some

> perspective...

Sorry Angelina, but that attitude is so poor - someone else'll sweep it up so it doesn't matter, just chuck it down on the ground? Yes ?80 is a lot of money, easily avoided by hanging onto your litter until you pass a bin, it's not asking the impossible!

Agree about motorists but that's an entirely different issue dealt with by the police, not the council, and funded from an entirely different source.

[Angelina]

you're missing the point

[rendelharris]

Angelina Wrote:

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> you're missing the point

Which is?