Lockdown litter louts in Milton Keynes parks to be caught on mobile CCTV and fined £80 a throw

Parks Trust bosses have put out a plea for people show more respect for local parks after rangers pick up a massive 800 sacks of litter so far this week.
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They have seen a "huge increase" in the amount of litter left behind during lockdown, when access to green spaces and parks has been more important than ever.

Today they have warned that mobile CCTV is in operation and anyone caught littering will be given an £80 penalty fine. The same applies to people who allow their dog to foul without cleaning up.

A Trust spokesman said: "The Parks Trust have been working hard to keep the parks safe and protect the beautiful green spaces of Milton Keynes so that everyone can enjoy them safely and reap the benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing.

Leaving rubbish next to a full bin still counts as litteringLeaving rubbish next to a full bin still counts as littering
Leaving rubbish next to a full bin still counts as littering

"However, sadly we are seeing a huge increase in those dropping and leaving their litter in the parks, putting additional financial strain on the organisation to try and keep on top of all the additional waste as well as depleting the resources of our operations team and The Parks Trust’s Rangers."

This week alone, our rangers and contractors have collected over 800 bags of litter from city parks.

There has also been a surge in people ‘considerately littering’ - leaving their rubbish next to or on top of overflowing bins.

"What we want to stress is – this is still littering," said the Parks Trust spokesman. "If the bin is full please don’t leave your rubbish next to the bin, take it home.

You can be fined 80 for not picking up dog poop tooYou can be fined 80 for not picking up dog poop too
You can be fined 80 for not picking up dog poop too

"Leaving rubbish next to a bin or trying to force rubbish into an already overflowing bin seriously affects wildlife. Discarded rubbish blows around our parks and gets into the path of wildlife causing a whole host of issues. Small mammals, like shrews, often climb inside discarded bottles where they become trapped and die."

Hedgehogs, a declining species in the UK, are often victims of litter too. They become caught up in items like plastic multi-pack rings and plastic carrier bags, often with fatal results.

But it's not just land mammals that are suffering. Waterfowl such as swans and geese can swallow plastic, which accumulates in their stomach and eventually kills them.

The cost of removing litter from city parks is enormous, and already costs the Parks Trust £350,000 a year.

"So adding more bins is simply not the answer and particularly during this time when we are taking a significant hit to our income," said the spokesman.

He added: "Research conducted by Keep Britain Tidy indicates that 62% of people do not litter. These people would normally take their litter home with them, but upon seeing bins, will use them. So, installing more bins into our parks is not affordable for the charity and clearing the excess litter at present is reducing funds that could otherwise be spent on maintaining and improving the parks for the benefit of all."

Mobile CCTV cameras are in operation and ten investigations were carried out last month alone, with the appropriate fixed penalties handed out.

The penalties are set at £80 (for littering and dog fouling) and £400 for dumping rubbish.

The spokesman said: "As a charity we want to educate people about acting responsibly regarding the environment, we also want to make sure that our future is secure so that we can continue to manage and maintain these amazing green spaces. Please help support us by taking your litter home, regardless of whether there is a bin in place or not."