East Cambs Litter

17 June 2010, 11:16 | Updated: 17 June 2010, 11:22

People who drop litter in East Cambridgeshire could end up in court, according to the District Council.

The authority is clamping down on graffiti, abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping.

A new document, called the Environment Enforcement Strategy, was approved by councillors last week.

It means East Cambridgeshire District Council has the power to prosecute people who wilfully break littering laws.

For those who don't understand that they are actually committing an offence by littering, officers will use education measures to intervene.

Cllr Tony Parramint, Chairman of Environment and Transport Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "It is important we tackle issues such as fly tipping, abandoned vehicles and graffiti before they become a problem.

Left unchecked, what seem like trivial issues can escalate, blighting areas and causing more fundamental problems for the local community.

Our strategy aims to deal with issues quickly and effectively by working with local people and our partners to ensure we use the right response at the right time.

We don't want to take a heavy handed approach unless there is no other alternative.

We are lucky in our district that the problems we encounter aren't of the magnitude of some areas but it is important we deal with issues before they develop.

East Cambridgeshire is a fantastic place to live, by working together we can keep it that way."