Motorists can be fined if someone drops litter from their car in Hackney
Car, van and lorry drivers who allow litter to be dropped from their vehicles in Hackney risk facing action from the council.
In the past, fines could only be issued if it could be proved who dropped the litter. But a law passed in 2014 means that if rubbish is seen being thrown from a car, van or lorry, the registered keeper of the vehicle can be fined.
In recent weeks two people have been issued with advisory notices and one has been fined £80. If these are ignored, the owners of the cars could be prosecuted and fined up to £2,500.
The car owners are facing action after residents spotted litter being dropped from their vehicles. Residents complained about people parking, eating takeaways from local restaurants, leaving rubbish on the street and driving away.
A car parks up, people inside it eat a takeaway then throw the rubbish out of the window.
Litter left on the road by people in the car.
We want to send a message to car owners that they are not only responsible for their own behaviour, but that of their passengers too. In the past, residents have told us about littering from cars, but it has been very difficult for us to catch anyone without knowing who the individual was who threw the litter. Now if residents give us information and evidence, we can act on it.
There are three ways to report litter in Hackney:
- Download the Love Clean Hackney app – it lets users take a photo, select a location on a map and send in a report on the go.
- Email: enforcementsupport@hackney.gov.uk
- Phone: 020 8356 4810