Dropping litter and dumping vehicles and waste are just some of the crimes against the environment which Kennet District Council (KDC) now has new powers.

Thanks to new measures contained in the Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act (2005) which come in to force on 6th April 2006, KDC is now ready to crack down on people and organisations that litter the land.

Perpetrators can now be fined up to £300 if caught littering, dumping or even using anti-social behaviour that degrades the local environment.
Measures introduced in April will include; an increased fixed penalty notice fine for littering from £50 to £75, the introduction of fixed penalty notices (£200) for abandoning a vehicle and amending the law regarding abandoned shopping trolleys.

An additional measure introduced may affect businesses in the Kennet District if they do not have legitimate waste disposal contracts in place. All businesses that produce waste have a legal ‘duty of care’ to ensure that their business waste is disposed of lawfully by using a registered waste carrier.
When a business makes arrangements for this contract, legal documents called waste transfer notes are issued. These transfer notes should be kept safe for a period of two years by law as proof that the business complies with their duty of care and can be inspected at any time by local authority enforcement officers.
This new power will enable local authorities to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (£300) to businesses who cannot produce valid waste transfer notes proving lawful disposal of their waste.

Cllr Peter Evans (Environment Champion) said:
“These new powers introduced in April 2006 will have an important role to play in helping us to improve the standard of Kennet’s local environment and improve the quality of life for everyone. They will also aim to assist Council Officers in tackling anti-social individuals whose behaviour degrades the local environment for everyone."

Click here to visit the environment agency website