It is not targeting smokers, it might be targeting smokers that litter.
I can't see why you are trying to campaign to have our streets freely littered with fag ends???
I assume the council will have a word with the company to broaden their surveillance to other littering but there is nothing wrong with doing things one step at a time. I'm sure that more fag ends are dropped that other bits of litter.
In the past we have had campaigns against:- Dog mess (no doubt someone claimed they were picking on dog owners) Drinking in public (no doubt someone claimed they were picking on drinkers) Speeding (no doubt someone claimed they were picking on drivers) Drugs (no doubt someone complained they were picking on smack-heads) etc
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
People are like animals nowadays pukin,drinking,fags everywhere ,smoke in the streets when you want a coffee or to eat ,its a disgusting habit, big fat consumers shovelling in junk sugar&fat with drunken dozy eyes at 2am before avin a fight.....modern uk is horrible esp in citys at the weekend in the early hours...my personal hate is chuckin lit fags out car windows
My grump is that there just isn't enough warning about the ciggy ends.
A Speeding fine is not far off the cost of dropping a ciggy butt. But there are signs up with Speeding enforcement vans so you have fair warning, and it shows that its not just a revenue stream if you continue to speed.
Imo the council not playing fair. Not providing fair warning. For an £80 fine there should be advance warning in the area.
If the Enforcement Officers get over to New Brighton they will kill the tourism. Its the way there going about it that just stinks for me.
Many smokers for years have seen the £1,000 fines on lampposts and never been challenged under "Littering" so to all of a sudden to enforce it with out highlighting the BIG change in attitude towards ciggy butts. There first month was £80,0000 + For Ciggy offences. If this was there target then the campaign as you rightly say should be labeled correctly. Its is littering but it never used to be enforced.
Wirral Council have lost so much money over car parking revenue this is there next money making scheme. As i pointed out in a previous post only on the fine page to pay your fine is the ciggy butts mentioned and no where else that i can find.
Yes in this day and age ciggy butts are littering. Yes they have always been littering. But never enforced !!
At least educate with fair warning. I'm only a voice thinking of people like my mum who are old and have done this for years, and to have a £80 fine for something that they have done for more years than they can remember and £80 fine could put them into so much financial problems when your only income is a state pension.
I've educated her from the stories we have put together, and suggested she gets one of those personal ashtray things for her handbag.
I just think if the council was on the peoples side they would educate before fine. Smokes must be in the minority now and this is how they can get away with it.
I roll my own cigs (nearly as thick as normal cigs)and I usually only smoke half a cig and pocket the other half to later break up to make new cigs when short of tobacco. Will they next target the cig ash as litter?
The ciggy smokers are the easy meat to catch. Outside any railway station, bus stops, outside pubs, very easy for these so called Enforcement Officers. Who they should be prosecuting are the totally selfish, lazy and irresponsible so called dog owners who let their dogs defecate all over our pavements, footpaths and parks.They are the ones that should be fined and heavily too, they are spreading disease, dirt and smells and its always somewhere else other than near or by their house. Selfish b...a..s
@mark we've even had at least two TV campaigns in the past about fag ends, and as you say the warning signs have been tried on lampposts litter bins and wall posters - yet they were ignored them - now they are being acted upon.
Everybody is aware it is an offence, though I guess not everybody would know its a criminal offence - but ignorance of the law is no defence.
So people are aware, warnings were given in at least two media formats and numerous different poster/sign campaigns - now the boot has been stuck in.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
My Own Opinion is thus, The money brought in is + 90% from Smokers Fines. So why is it not called a Anti Cigarette Butt Campaign. There biggest revenue has not been made more aware of, in there advertising at all. Yes its litter, but it never used to be targeted. . . .
The papers have now made it front page and many more are aware, but that first month is just outrageous. If the council were fair to its residents they would in my opinion warn for the first month and educate that next month you will get a £80 fine.
We can split hairs all day, but in my opinion this is not a fair scheme because the smokers are paying the price and they not targeting the fly tipping at all. I would guess most fly tipping happens in the night or the dark, I wonder what time these enforcement officers clear there shifts. So any fly tipper will not bat an eyelid.
Yes we can say the council is bringing in money which then leaves more money in the pot for other services. But remember the council can invest the money in new carpets and luxury items for there offices (Coffee Machines).
Seems no one is accountable for there huge waste of money.
Yes the message is out there now. I doubt this will be the end of this practice hitting the headlines.
There was exactly the same outcry in various London boroughs two years ago, the local government ministers take on the protesters was.
Quote
Those who harm the environment by shamelessly littering and fly-tipping should be brought to book
Wirral have successfully caught and prosecuted a number of rural fly-tippers but needless to say it is a lot harder and costly to catch them, the council would have to cut money from other services to afford to achieve a higher prosecution rate.
After years of costing ratepayers money to clean up after smokers and some smokers breaking the law, the specific offenders themselves are now paying for it - can't get any fairer than that.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
Lady on radio merseyside today. At the lifeboat day hoylake.hubby left a paper cup by side of bench where they had been sitting.3 burly kingdom goons confronted them asking for his name and address which he refused and they threatened to phone police which they didnt do but they later followed the wife with her kids up the street and photographed her car and ran at the car to get video footage.she was quite scared as she didnt know who they were.crafty wirral council contacted the radio show asking for her to contact them but she declined before she had spoken to her husband.wonder if they just targetted the event because they know people would be having fast food and bins likely to be full
I would be asking for ID and a contact number. Before i give my details out. And would take the time to put my phone on video record, because i can.
The more i think about it, these patrols seem absolutely random where they show up (But we know there chasing the money) so whos to say they cant be impersonated and taking money under false pretences.
I can only see this damaging the council, you begin to feel you cant do anything called fun or enjoy some fun with out a £80 fine hidden in the bushes.
Easy to understand why in 3's because the would be flattened on there own in my opinion.
Yesterday coming out of St Caths hospital to the bus stop in Derby rd a woman there told me an elderly gent had just been fined £80 for dropping his ciggie in the gutter (he wasn't smoking in the bus shelter). She said there appeared to be nobody else around at the time when 2 men suddenly appeared out of nowhere to fine him. They had been sitting in a car near to the bus stop and they were still there when I got on the bus. So beware smokers of these sneaks. Is the aim to stop litter or to make easy money for the council and the firm doing it? If it's for the money what next - aim dedicated cctv cameras at likely litter/cigs dropping spots with a standby teams to nab the culprits
