ON THE spot fines for littering, fly-tipping and graffiti could be issued as soon as February.

Members of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee are being asked to agree proposals for a new waste enforcement scheme to be introduced in Brighton and Hove.

If agreed, the council will begin an information and education campaign and the first fines could be issued from February.

The council has drawn up the proposals in a bid to tackle anti-social and illegal behaviour, improve the environment and minimise waste clean-up and disposal costs.

Each year the council receives dozens of complaints about fly-tipping, litter and other anti-social behaviour and the issues are often raised at residents groups and community meetings.

Last year council officers issued 439 written warnings, 10 verbal warnings and gave site advice to 27 businesses in relation to waste issues.

Eighty fixed penalty notices were issued.

But the council has limited capacity to increase education and enforcement activity and is unable to carry out daily patrols to issue advice and where necessary take enforcement action.

The new scheme would see the council employing a contractor to carry out enforcement alongside an education programme.

The service would be self-funding with no cost to the council, which would receive a proportion of funds from fixed penalty notices.

The enforcement scheme would initially cover fly-tipping, littering, flyposting, graffiti and disposing of business waste in communal bins illegally. 

If successful, it could be extended to address other issues such as dog fouling.

Councillor Gill Mitchell chairwoman of the environment, transport and sustainability committee said the scheme is a strong message that deliberate anti-social behaviour which blights the city will not be tolerated.