News / bristol city council
Fines for graffiti, fly-posting and fly-tipping to increase
Fines for graffiti and fly-posting in Bristol are more than tripling and those for fly-tipping are rising by more than double.
It means anyone caught dumping waste by the roadside or other unauthorised places faces a £1000 fixed penalty notice, up from the current charge of £400; while graffiti and fly-posting will see fines increase from £150 to £500.
The changes, which take the rates up to new maximums allowed by a law passed in 2023, will be approved by the city council’s cabinet on Tuesday at their final meeting before Bristol moves to a committee system from May.
is needed now More than ever
The 2023 legislation also increased the upper limit for littering to £500 but councillors are set to keep this at the existing £150 when the new levels come into force on April 17.
It also raised the maximum amount that local authorities can fine people who breach the “household duty of care”, which requires residents to take reasonable steps to ensure rubbish produced at home is supplied only to someone authorised to dispose of it, to £600 but this will also be kept at its current fee of £400.
An early payment charge of £500 – a 50 per cent discount – will be introduced for fly-tippers.
Fly-tipping in Knowle West – photo: Bristol24/7
A report to cabinet said: “Since 2017 Bristol City Council has issued over 30,000 fixed penalty notices for environmental offences such as littering, fly-tipping or dog control, and 3,000 people have been taken to court for non-payment.
“Over the last year the council has investigated 1,032 fly-tips, issued 265 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping, seized six vehicles used by fly tippers, and crushed three of them.
“Although the cleanliness of the city has improved in many parts as measured by our independent Local Environmental Quality scoring, more work still needs to be done particularly in relation to behaviour change.
“Bristol’s Quality of Life Survey 2023 tells us the percentage of people who think street litter is a problem locally has gone up slightly to 84 per cent citywide and to 94 per cent in the most deprived areas.
“The cost of environmental crime to the city is high. In 2022/23 there were 10,181 clearances of fly-tipping by Bristol Waste Company.
“Removing and enforcing fly-tipping cost the council approximately £740,000 in the last year so increasing the penalty rates for offences sends a clear message.”
It said waste enforcement regulations required any income from fines to pay for efforts to keep streets clean.
Graffiti (and the usual flooding) in a junction 3 underpass – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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