Litter free Highlands

Highland Councillors have agreed to get tough on people who drop litter and  fly-tip, shifting the focus from education to enforcement.

Enforcement officers will target Inverness city and other main towns on a regular basis. The zero tolerance approach will be supported by publicity in the local media to advertise the city/towns where enforcement is being targeted.

The number of fixed penalty notices issued will be published.

Community Wardens from Housing and Property Services are being given powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to complement the work of the Council’s three education and enforcement officers.

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of the TEC Services Committee, said: “The zero tolerance approach will see a shift from education to enforcement around our main centres of population, and Inverness city and towns across the Highlands will be targeted by our enforcement officers on a regular basis.

“We will tell communities advance notice of our targeted action so people will have no excuse for littering or fly-tipping.  We will continue to work with the police and other agencies to promote a litter free Highlands.”

Councillor Michael Foxley, Leader of the Council’s Administration, fully supported the policy.

He said: “While we continue pressing home the message in schools and in our communities, we now need to show that we mean business by taking enforcement action.  We need to create a culture of cleanliness.  Other countries manage it and there is no reason we cannot follow their examples.”

The Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 introduced fixed penalty notices for littering and fly-tipping. The penalty is £50.