Taxi drivers face fine of £150 if ANYONE in their vehicle throws litter out of their cab

Taxi drivers face a fine of £150 if ANYONE in their vehicle throws litter out of their cab.

The maximum on-the-spot fine for littering and graffiti doubled from £80 to £150 in 2018. For the first time, local authorities can also use these littering penalties against vehicle owners if it can be proved litter was thrown from their car.

Keeping the country’s streets clean cost local councils almost £700 million last year. Much of this litter is seen as avoidable litter, where money could be better spent in the community.

Recently a private hire driver from Bolton become the first in the borough to be fined £150 for throwing litter from a car window.

CCTV footage from the early hours of Monday 4 October, showed the driver of a private hire vehicle depositing litter onto the pavement in a residential area before driving off.

The footage was sent to the council's environmental enforcement team by a local resident and officers were able to identify the owner of the car using DVLA records.

A Penalty Charge Notice of £150 was issued to the driver at his home address in Bolton. Previously authorities had to precisely identify who threw the litter in order to issue a fine, but the recent changes in 2018 meant the registered keeper of the vehicle is now held responsible for any litter thrown from their vehicle.

Bolton Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Hilary Fairclough, said: "Littering is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, there are a minority of people who commit these thoughtless acts.

“We will not hesitate in taking action against anyone caught dropping litter in our borough.

“The message is clear; if you drop litter from a car or otherwise, expect to receive a fine. For the most serious offences and repeat offenders, you may find yourself in court for a more significant penalty.”