On 12/11/2023 01:59 pm, Simon Mason wrote:
Motorists will now be fined for littering, even if a passenger dumps rubbish from a window under tough new laws.
Maximum on-the-spot penalties have almost doubled from £80 to £150 under updated council powers which were brought in on Easter Sunday.
The crackdown comes as the Government tries to clear up the UK's grass verges of cigarette ends, discarded disposable cups, crisp packets and other fast food wrappings.
One is far more likely to see such things deposited by bike-chavs.
After all, they've got nowhere to store 'em, 'ave they, guv?
However, taxi drivers in Stoke-on-Trent are concerned that they could be hit with fines as a result of bad behaviour from unruly passengers – who they are unable to control.
They are now calling for a ‘common sense’ approach.
Stoke-on-Trent Private Hire Association chairman Sharaz Yaqub said: “It’s a problem for taxi drivers.
What has the Private Hire Association to do with taxis?
They aren't taxi-drivers.
“It is fair enough when it is children in a car and it is down to the parents to be responsible. But councils and police should not expect taxi drivers to do their policing for them.
Why are pirate car drivers worried about that?
“If a passenger throws something out of the window of a cab, and the taxi driver challenges them, it could lead to an altercation, particularly if it is someone has had a lot to drink and is behaving badly. It could even bring the driver’s safety
into question.
“If a driver picks up two or three people who have had a drink and they throw something out of the window, there is not a lot the driver can do.
“I would hope that councils and the police would show a bit of common sense. Because in that case they should penalise the passenger, not the driver.”
Taxi driver Abdul Rauf, aged 53, of Shelton, said: “Taxi drivers working at night can occasionally have a problem with people who have had too much to drink, and they don’t listen to you if you try to reason with them.
“But by and large, most people are well behaved. Probably 99.9 per cent of people are well behaved. I work at the railway station and passengers are mainly professional people, or people visiting the city and they behave well.”
Tom Simpson, secretary of Sandyford and Goldenhill Residents' Association, today welcomed the litter crackdown.
He said: “I think it is a good idea, someone has to be made responsible. The onus should be on the driver then at least they will be think twice about letting someone throw rubbish out of the window if they are the ones to suffer the consequences.
“Our area is probably one of the worst in the city for fly-tipping and rubbish. We see all the mess, in particular on James Brindley Way and Sandyford. It’s not just people walking from the takeaway and chucking cans, they are definitely being
thrown from cars. It’s a right mess.
“Upping the fines I don’t think will make a lot of difference, but it is a move in the right direction.”
Edmund King, president of motoring organisation the AA, has backed the move.
He said: “There is no excuse for car litter louts. Tossing rubbish from vehicles spoils the environment, costs millions and puts road workers' lives at risk when they have to clear up.
“The majority of our members support higher fines for littering and we welcome these steps to tackle this unnecessary problem. It is not difficult for car occupants to bag it and bin it.”
The Government says tougher penalties are needed because keeping the country’s streets clean costs local authorities £680 million a year.
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