Huge Increase in Fines for Littering and Flytipping

A carelessly discarded cigarette butt could now cost you £500

Flytips in the Syon/Brentford area. Picture: Hounslow Council

April 1, 2025

Hounslow Council is implementing major increases in the amount it fines people who fly-tip or litter with some charges up by 233 per cent. Hounslow Council says it is stepping up its campaign to clean up the borough from Tuesday (1 April).

The amount those caught fly-tipping will be fined has increased from £400 to £1,000. Those caught littering, discarding their cigarette butts, or failing to clean up after their dog, will be fined £500 – a £350 increase or 233 per cent. Fines for those who breach their household waste duty of care – essentially meaning you should make sure anyone disposing of waste on your behalf, like a tradesperson, has a waste carrier’s licence, or you could be liable if they fly-tip it – will also go up from £400 to £600.

Between April 2023 and April 2024, there were 27,241 incidents of fly-tipping and littering across the borough. Additionally, on Hounslow’s highways alone – not including parks or residential areas – there were 3,100 tonnes of rubbish dropped in the same timeframe.

This costs council taxpayers around £370,000 every year to dispose of the rubbish, at £124 per tonne of waste. This doesn’t include the additional charges from collecting the waste.

Councillor Raghwinder Siddhu, Cabinet Member for Public Safety, Regulatory Services and Enforcement said, “It makes our borough look unsightly, the fly-tips are potentially hazardous, and otherwise it is the law-abiding residents that must pay to clean it up.

“It is simply not acceptable for people to do this. It would be much easier to either take it to the dump or throw it in a bin. So, you either look for a bin, or look over your shoulder, because if you fly-tip or litter in Hounslow, you will risk being caught and you will be fined.”

Hounslow Council will also launch a borough-wide campaign reminding residents of the fines they could incur if found responsible for fly-tipping or littering, with people encouraged to ‘take pride’ in Hounslow, and keep it clean.

The council says patrols will continue to take place, by the council’s partners, APCOA, who carry out enforcement in the borough. With the local authority, APCOA will also prosecute those who fail to pay their fines.

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter