Biggest ever clampdown to cure England's litter mountain

Litter louts in England will face a 186-U.S.-dollar fine as part of ambitious new plans announced Monday to tackle rubbish.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom unveiled the government's first ever litter strategy for England to reduce the billion-U.S.-dollar cost to taxpayers of cleaning-up a massive litter mountain.

Under the new measures, the most serious litterers face a 150-pound fine, while vehicle owners will receive penalty fines when litter is thrown from their car, even if it was discarded by a passenger in the vehicle.

"The new motoring rules, which are already in force in London, make owners liable even if they didn't throw the litter themselves," said a spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Leadsom said: "Litter is something that affects us all, blighting our countryside, harming our wildlife, polluting our seas, spoiling our towns, and giving visitors a poor impression of our country.

"Our litter strategy will tackle this antisocial behaviour by building an anti-litter culture; making it easier for people to dispose of rubbish; and hitting litter louts in the pocket.

"We want to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, and tackling litter is an important part of our drive to make the country a better place to live and visit," Leadsom said. Endit