Fines and charges: changes from April 2024
You can be given a fine by post or on the spot if you commit any of the offences listed below.
The fines below will be in place from 1 April 2024.
| Offence | Penalty if paid within 21 days (unless specified otherwise) | Full amount if paid within 28 days (unless specified otherwise) | Maximum fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Littering | £90 | £150 | £2,500 |
| Depositing waste | £500 | £750 | Unlimited fine and/or 5 years imprisonment |
| Failure to comply with Duty of Care (household) | n/a | £300 | Unlimited fine |
| Failure to produce waste documents (business) | n/a | £300 | Unlimited fine |
| Failure to produce authority to transport waste | n/a | £300 | Unlimited fine |
| Failure to comply with a Community Protection Notice | £70 | £100 | £20,000 |
| Failure to comply with a Public Spaces Protection Order | £70 | £100 | £1,000 |
| Handing out free print materials without permission | £90 | £150 | £2,500 |
| Fly-posting (putting up advertising materials without permission) | £90 | £150 | £2,500 |
| Abandoning a vehicle | £150 | £200 | £2,500 and/or imprisonment |
| Repairing vehicles on a road | £80 | £100 | £2,500 |
| Graffiti | £90 | £150 | Unlimited fine and/or imprisonment |
| Failure to comply with a waste receptacles notice | £75 - commercial £60 - domestic |
£110 - commercial £80 - domestic |
£1,000 |
| Smoking in a smoke free premises | £30 within 15 days | £50 within 29 days | £200 |
| Not displaying no smoking signs in smoke free premises, places or vehicles | £150 within 15 days | £200 within 29 days | £1,000 |
Rubbish out early
Community Penalty Warnings and Notices can be issued for putting your rubbish out for collection too early.
Before a rubbish and recycling collection you are expected to:
- store it properly on your property
- put it out no later than 7am on collection day and no earlier than the night before
- take it to one of the three council tips if it needs to be disposed of before the usual collection day.
Smoking fines
It is illegal to smoke in smoke-free areas and public places and it could result in a fine from £30 to £1,000.
There are three non-smoking offences, these include:
- smoking in a smoke-free place or vehicle
- allowing smoking in a smoke-free place or vehicle
- not displaying 'no smoking' signs in a smoke free place or vehicle.
It’s illegal to smoke in public places, such as:
- offices
- bars or restaurants
- shops
- work vehicles like taxis, vans, minicabs
- public transport.
The smokefree legislation means:
- employers and managers must make sure their premises are smokefree
- signs need to be displayed in buildings and vehicles when people enter
- work vehicles must display a ‘no smoking’ sign.
Find out more about fixed penalty notices for environmental crimes.