Litter fines 'cash cow' for London councils

[super jumbe]

XFor typically receives ?45 for each fine it issues

Litter fines are being used as a cash cow by councils employing "private police forces", a BBC investigation suggests.

The number of litter fines issued by English councils has rocketed from 727 in 1997 to 63,883 last year.

Now Inside Out has discovered three councils in London effectively incentivise XFor, a private company, to issue as many fines as possible.

The councils insist their only goal is to keep streets clean.

But figures obtained by BBC Inside Out show all three experienced overnight surges in ticketing after employing XFor.

Bromley Council saw the number of monthly ?80 fines leap from four to 618.

Sample of reasons Xfor has fined people ?80:

? Dropping a bank card
? Dropping nut shells
? Dropping orange peel
? Dropping a pen
? Dropping a banana skin


Rachel Cullen said she was told she may face a ?2,000 fine

Ms Appleton warns financial incentives have led to private police forces - with the official issuing the fine directly or indirectly benefitting.

She said: "Their concern becomes not public service, but looking for people to fine.



In some boroughs 97% of litter fines are for cigarette butts


Link: BBC News - Litter fines 'cash cow' for London councils

[Snowy79]

Simple solution. Don't be scum and put your rubbish in a bin. If no one drops rubbish they'll soon not need to employ people to police it. The fact that 63,883 people got fined shows how little respect people have for where they live.

[gmb45]

Simple solution. Don't be scum and put your rubbish in a bin. If no one drops rubbish they'll soon not need to employ people to police it. The fact that 63,883 people got fined shows how little respect people have for where they live.

tru dat

the amount of shite i see at the side of the road chucked oot car windows while oot and aboot is disgusting, in the peak district national park as well, i got done fur chucking a fag oot the car window 50 tokens ffs, dont do it now.

[super jumbe]

Sample of reasons Xfor has fined people ?80:

? Dropping a bank card


This is accidental pathetic rules I think we need educated people on the top?

[thered]

Simple solution. Don't be scum and put your rubbish in a bin. If no one drops rubbish they'll soon not need to employ people to police it. The fact that 63,883 people got fined shows how little respect people have for where they live.

I agree i put litter in bins wherever possible


But you go to London mate their are no bins at all they are all removed after terrorist attacks

You see little corners where people leave bottles ect just on floor

If you have bins its a crime not to use them but if you dont can you seriously expect everyone to walk around with empty bottles apple cores and banana skins in pockets the odd sweet wrapper yes but some things no

[bobwill]

When we go to Europe we always notice how clean the countrys are, hardly any rubbish on streets along side man roads etc .
This is strange because when you come out of felixstowe docks on the A14 the first thing you notice is rubbish and the what is
known as truck driver whiskey (a plastic 4 pint milk bottle half full of pee) littering the verges.
In Suffolk ever year the local radio station runs a DONT BE A TOSSER campaign to try and shame people not to toss rubbish
out of car and truck windows as it cost councils millions to clear up.
I think that instead of fines anyone caught throwing out litter form trucks and cars should be made to go litter picking
for a few hours as they could have just as easy took it home

[Meat-Head]

did read about some body got out their car, dropped a whateevr, bent down to pick it up and got a ticket from the fuzz.