Fine for fly tippers and litter bugs have soared by nearly 10 times over the last six months.
Bolton Council has revealed that more than £30,000 worth of fines were handed out between August last year and this February.
This was almost ten times more than the total fines handed out over the same six-month period, August to February, the year before and comes as the council increases the maximum fines.
Cabinet member for regulatory services Cllr Sue Haworth said: “As a council we welcome these fine increases, which are to act as a deterrent to those who commit waste offences.
“Fly tipping and littering are issues that blight our borough, negatively impacting the lives of residents and business owners as well as costing the council to clear up the mess.
“We will continue to do everything we can to find those responsible for waste offences and hold them to account.”
The fines handed out over the last six months came to a total of around £32,150 and came after Bolton suffered record levels of fly tipping over last year
But the authority hopes that sharp increases in the fines handed out will put people off leaving their rubbish strewn around the street.
Last week, the council decided to increase the steepest fines for littering from £150 to £300 and from £400 to £600 for fly tipping.
The fines for those who fail their duty of care for household waste will also rise from £400 to £600.
The council will also raise the maximum rate for discounted fines from £150 to £175 for littering, £300 to £450 for fly tipping and £300 to £450 for waste duty of care.
Discounts will be offered in some cases when people pay their fines early.
ALSO READ: Sharp rise in fines for littering and fly-tipping planned to clean up Bolton
ALSO READ: 'The stuff of nightmares' Concerns about backstreet tip where rubbish is dumped
ALSO READ: Bolton had record number of fly-tipping incidents last year
Cllr Haworth said: “It’s not just dumping waste yourself, you can be fined or prosecuted if your waste is fly tipped by someone else on your behalf.”
“You should always use a registered waste carrier if someone else is collecting your waste.
“You can find a registered waste carrier in your area on the Environment Agency’s website.
“We want a cleaner borough so we can all enjoy a more pleasant place to live and work.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel