From 8 May Hart District Council is introducing a new service to tackle people who litter across the district as part of a new campaign ‘Stop It, Don’t Drop It’.

This will see Environmental Enforcement Officers take to the streets of Hart to issue fines of £75 for anyone caught littering, including cigarette butts and chewing gum, and £50 for anyone failing to clean up after their dog.

The aim of the ‘Stop It, Don’t Drop It’ campaign is to reduce littering and dog fouling across Hart, so residents can take pride in their local communities and visitors will notice how clean our district is.

Speaking about the scheme, John Elson, Head of Environment and Technical Services at Hart District Council, said: “We work hard to help keep the district clear of litter and we hope by introducing this new campaign, we can encourage people to stop littering and to keep Hart even cleaner. This is in line with the Corporate Plan priorities of continuing to provide good quality great value services and keeping Hart a clean and attractive place to live and work.

“We are encouraging local community groups to report persistent litter and dog fouling ‘hot spots’ by filling in an online reporting form on our website, so we can target problem areas.”

The scheme is self-funded and East Hampshire District Council will be operating the scheme on behalf of Hart District Council. The Council has also allocated £5,000 to fund education and awareness raising, plus the provision of additional litter bins across the district.

For more information about the ‘Stop It, Don’t Drop It’ campaign please visit www.hart.gov.uk/stop-it-dont-drop-it.