More than 20 litter louts are about to become at least £50 poorer following two action days organised by Hackney Council to tackle litter and graffiti in the borough. Council enforcement officers issued 22 fixed penalty notices to litter louts on the two days, held on Wednesday and Thursday 29th and 30th April.

Meanwhile, their colleagues in the graffiti team carried out a blitz on these eyesores, removing a total of 57 items, covering almost 260 square metres – that’s the height and length of 7 Routemaster buses.

The street cleaning team were also out in force, collecting 564 bags of litter and dumped items on the two days.

The Action Days support the Council’s regular cleaning and graffiti removal. Everyone of the borough’s streets is swept at least twice a week and Zone 1 roads – high streets and town centres – cleaned every single day, seven days a week. Last year the graffiti removal team tackled almost 19,000 items of graffiti.

Cllr Alan Laing, Hackney’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The council spends £9 million a year keeping the streets clean in Hackney – but we need people to play their part too. It’s a simple message – we won’t put up with littering, dumping and graffiti and people responsible for such selfish behaviour can expect a hefty fine.”