Drivers and passengers to face fines for littering

Car owners are to face fines of £100 if anyone throws litter from their vehicle.

Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, is backing plans to fine the registered owners of vehicles, regardless of who dumped the rubbish. "Litter and rubbish strewn about can make people feel an area is un-cared for or unsafe," Mrs Spelman will say this week at the start of a litter summit aimed at tackling the issue. "The enclosure created by cars, taxis or lorries can often make the perpetrator feel anonymous."

This month, the law will be changed in London, allowing borough councils to issue a civil penalty notice of £100, for the first time, against the registered keeper of a vehicle responsible for littering. The law could then be changed for the whole of England.