WAVERLEY Borough Council will clamp down on litter louts with an enforcement team with the power to issue fines of up to £100.

The council, along with local authorities across the country, has the option to use enforcement powers and Waverley is recruiting an enforcement officer who can issue fixed-penalty notices if he or she witnesses littering, fly tipping or dog fouling.

Litter patrols have already been introduced by East Hampshire District Council where anyone caught faces a £75 fine.

The offence of littering includes such things as cigarette butts, chewing gum, food waste, packaging or a bag of waste discarded on the street.

The regulations say littering can take place on any land, public or private, in the open air to which the public have access to.

The new litter patrol comes as communities up and down the country take part in a national

‘Clean for The Queen’ campaign, was launched by Country Life magazine in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy to clear up Britain in time for The Queen’s 90th birthday, on April 21.

Last week, girls from St Ives School, in Haslemere, took part in the birthday initiative with a clean up on Lion Green (pictured)

And in Grayshott, the Grayshott Society organised a village litter picking patrol in partnership with East Hampshire District Council and its street cleansing contractor, the Landscape Group – see page 12.

A spokesman said: “All councils have the option to use enforcement powers and Waverley Borough Council is currently recruiting an enforcement officer to lead a small team in order to use these powers proactively to deter people from litter, fly tipping and dog fouling.

“The council intends to begin issuing fixed-penalty notices once the team is in place and trained. The maximum penalty notice is yet to be set but is likely to be a figure up to £100.”