Litterers on the Yorkshire Coast face a postcode lottery when it comes to fines, with North Yorkshire Council introducing new crackdown measures in Scarborough and Whitby.
People who drop litter and cigarette butts on the Yorkshire Coast are facing a postcode lottery, with fines varying significantly depending on where the offence takes place.
The maximum amount that local authorities can fine individuals for littering was increased by the Government from £150 to £500 in 2023. Following this change, many councils have accordingly raised the size of the fixed penalty notices they issue.
Under these new rules published this spring, councils have the power to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £500 for littering, including when rubbish is thrown from a vehicle. If an offender cannot be identified, the owner of the vehicle will be held to account, and any unpaid fines will double after 28 days.
In North Yorkshire, dropping a cigarette in the wrong place could prove costly, though the region's standard fines remain lower than the statutory maximum. Littering, including from a vehicle, comes with a £150 fine in England’s geographically largest local authority, North Yorkshire Council.
According to documents on the local authority's website, North Yorkshire Council reduces this fine to £105 for early payment.
However, a stricter approach is being taken in specific coastal hotspots. On the first of May, the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order was approved across nine locations in Scarborough and Whitby.
These areas were specifically identified by the authority as sites of significant and persistent littering, anti-social behaviour, crime, and damage to the environment.
The new powers will enable North Yorkshire Council to move people on from these locations in Scarborough and Whitby. The authority can also issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100, as well as larger fines of up to £1,000.
Further down the coast, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council has implemented some of the toughest fines in the region. The authority charges £200 for littering, which can be reduced to £150 if paid within ten days.
The variation in penalties highlights a broader issue across the country, where stubbing out a cigarette in the wrong place in Yorkshire could cost up to £2,500. Fines issued by some cities are almost seven times higher than in others across Yorkshire and the North East.
For example, based on publicly available information, City of York Council has some of the toughest littering fines in the region. Fines are £250 if paid within ten days, and £500 for payment within fourteen days, while a Magistrate Court could impose a fine of £2,500.
In Hull, dropping cigarette butts can lead to a £150 fixed penalty, reduced to £120 if paid within seven days, but also comes with the threat of prosecution and a maximum penalty of £2,500. Meanwhile, Leeds City Council’s fines are between £80 and £100 for littering.
The national disparity was recently highlighted by The Guardian, which reported the case of a London resident who was given a £500 fine simply for putting a cigarette butt in a refuse sack.
The law was officially amended in 2005 to ensure that specific items were legally recognised as rubbish. The legislation was updated to specifically include:
"the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and discarded chewing gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing."
Highlighting the environmental impact of this type of waste, Newcastle Council's website states:
"Litter such as cigarette butts and chewing gum are classed as litter. They are expensive and time-consuming to clean up. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to degrade."
The Newcastle Council website adds:
"There is also no reason why smokers, who are well aware that smoking will result in waste, cannot carry portable ‘butt bins’ with them or create their own by placing soil or sand in a small tin."
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