Zero Tolerance On Litter Louts

In a bold move, Peterborough City Council plans to use its 135 CCTV cameras placed across the city to catch litter bugs in the act. Camera stills will be made public and residents will be asked to shop the culprits who will be handed a £75 fine.

The council already spends £1.65 million a year on fighting the city’s ever growing litter problem.

Today, Peterborough City Council leader John Peach unveiled the zero-tolerance plan that the council hopes will lead to a litter-free city. Cllr Peach said: "CCTV operators will be on the look out for anybody we suspect of dropping litter. There is no excuse for this sort of anti-social behaviour and the message is simple – bin it or face being fined."

He added: "This scheme will give us another weapon to target those who blight our city. We want Peterborough to be a litter-free zone and will take whatever action is necessary to impress this ideal on residents and visitors. There is an army of cleaners with mechanical sweepers clearing every street in the city. Once they have got around everywhere they have to start again. Litter is a constant problem."

The council has named three litter hot spots which will be intensely scrutinised by the councils digital CCTV systems. They include Geneva Street in the city centre, Orton Centre in Orton Waterville and the Pyramid Centre in Bretton.

And people who drop cigarette butts are also set to come under the microscope. The council is fitting ashtrays to buildings and on bins to deter smokers from discarding cigarette butts on the ground.

Cllr Graham Murphy, cabinet member for environment and community safety, said: "There is no hiding place for people who drop litter. These CCTV cameras are so good that they will pick the freckles off your face from the other end of Bridge Street. They will identify people who do not respect the city. And it won’t just be in the city centre. They will be in Paston, Orton, Werrington and Bretton, in every area across the city. Those caught will be shamed by their actions and it will act as a deterrent to others."

Peterborough Council is limited in the number of officers who can walk around catching people who drop litter. CCTV footage has already proven that people clearly use litter bins and go out of their way to do so during the daytime, but Peterborough at night time is a different matter.

A telephone number where people can ring in and identify the culprits will be made available once the photographs are published.