Warning to Darlington litter louts (From The Northern Echo)

Warning to Darlington litter louts

4:48pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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LITTER louts have been issued a warning after a council piled high a weeks worth of collected rubbish to show just how much of a mess they cause.

Darlington Borough Council, which spends £1.5m a year clearing up after inconsiderate members of the public, held the display in the town centre yesterday.

Scores of refuse sacks full of empty cans, crisp packets, takeaway wrappers and countless other pieces of litter were stacked next to the Joseph Pease Monument at High Row.

Councillor Bill Dixon, the council's Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety, warned litterbugs will be fined £75 if they are caught dropping rubbish.

"Sadly, some people still think it is acceptable to drop their litter in Darlington," he said.

"The council's Street Scene teams will continue to clear up the litter and issue fines to people caught littering, but it would be preferable if people didn't dump litter on our streets in the first place."

The litter was collected by the council's Street Scene teams between Monday March 8 to Monday March 15.

The Council's Street Scene Enforcement Officers can issue a fixed penalty notice of 75 to people who drop litter. The most common forms of litter are discarded food waste, chewing gum and cigarette ends. Cigarette butts can be particularly harmful to the environment and can take up to 12 years to biodegrade, while discarded chewing gum has left unsightly marks on the paving stones in the Pedestrian Heart area and is difficult to remove.

More than 80 fines have been issued for littering this year. One third of the penalties were issued to offenders in the town centre.

At yesterdays event, Street Scene officers were on hand to answer residents' queries and provide free cigarette butt pouches to smokers.

Bins are provided across the town centre, and new cigarette and chewing gums bins were installed recently. Shoppers were urged to make use of the facilities and think twice before tossing their rubbish into the street.

To report litter and fly-tipping incidents, call the council on 01325-388777.