Where Cigarette Ends Could Cost A £50 Fine

Dropping litter in East Cambridgeshire may be costly in future. District council officials will be swooping on litterbugs and issuing £50 fixed penalty tickets in a major campaign to clean up the streets. They will be backed up by Police Community Support Officers in a campaign that will also target fly-tipping and dog fouling. It costs council taxpayers £115,000 each year for street sweeping in Ely alone, with the street sweeper picking up nearly 41 tonnes of rubbish every year. Environmental services chief Stephen Clements said: "Improving cleanliness on the streets and in public areas and the reduction of anti-social behaviour are key priorities for the council. This new campaign will raise awareness and make people think before they add to the problem. "Ely has recently been judged as one of the top 10 cleanest cities in Britain and we want to keep it, and the rest of the district, that way. Nobody wants to see rubbish on our streets and cleanliness has always been at the forefront of public expectations in our surveys and Listening Weeks." To help reduce the problems, the council has also produced an environmental crime incident report booklet available at the council offices and on the council's website at www.eastcambs.gov.uk.  Reports from the public may allow the council to take action against the offender if enough information is provided.