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Ever noticed the never-ending trail of fast-food wrappers, drink cartons, plastic bottles filled with ‘yellow’ cola or the one random shoe? Or how about driving behind someone and watching them chuck out a cigarette butt or gum onto the road or pavement? You are not alone. There are many questions that pop into my head when I see this - One - have they never heard of a bin? And Two - whatever happened to the other shoe? Do they keep it? Give it to a charity shop? Donate it to a shop dedicated to just selling only one shoe? So many questions!!!!!

But this post isn't about the other shoe, no this is about you filthy little litterbugs. Your time is up! Motorists who throw litter out of their cars could expect to receive a fine if they are caught on camera. Hooray!

Littering in town centres and green spaces has been a hot topic in recent months, and with more and more restrictions being eased and it’s highlighting a huge problem with litter affecting all areas of our communities.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with no WiFi, local community groups are being created on many social media platforms with the aim of getting together to pick up other people's rubbish. Yes! People who are proud of their green spaces and towns are having to take their time out of their day to pick up other lazy people's rubbish!

But this isn’t enough, local authorities and volunteers are struggling to clean up the waste left behind by other people and it’s a very costly operation. Unfortunately, this has resulted in councils spending more on cleaning up litter from roads and parks than they do on bin collections.

One council however has decided that enough is enough, and are using new smart technology cameras to catch and fine these littering culprits. Maidstone Borough Council in Kent has signed up to a year-long pilot scheme to try out the LitterCam. Cameras will be installed around the town to catch motorists who throw rubbish out their windows.

The LitterCam is fitted with motion sensors and detects when something is being thrown out of a vehicle window. It then takes a picture of the car registration number and once the evidence has been verified, a fine is sent to the keeper* of the vehicle. Fines will start at £90 and rise to £120 if unpaid after 15 days. A change in the law in 2018 means that to prosecute you no longer have to prove who threw the rubbish from a vehicle. It is enough to have the registration number to identify the keeper of the vehicle. Littering is a criminal offence and anyone throwing litter out of a vehicle window can face a penalty. This includes small items such as cigarette butts and chewing gum.

And don’t think just because you lease your vehicle you won’t get caught and fined. Your finance company might be the keeper of your car but they will most definitely pass the fine onto the driver of the car with an added administration cost.

Maidstone is the first town in the country to trial the new cameras from April, with Wigan in Lancashire and Sheffield also expected to follow soon. And if the pilot scheme is successful, the littercams will be introduced all over the country.

So, the next time you decide to throw your rubbish out of the car don’t forget to ‘smile’ for the camera. Or why not start cleaning up your act now? There are no excuses for throwing litter, so place your waste in a bin or take your rubbish home instead. It is as simple as that!

Want to make a difference in the place where you live? If you have any time to spare and want to help your community to tidy up contact your local council to find out how to volunteer. And if it's some light reading you're after you can read some handy tips and tricks through organisations such as ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ and ‘Clean Up Britain’.

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