Litter crackdown targets pupils

SCHOOLCHILDREN have been fined £75 or ordered to an enforced litter pick-up after a South Yorkshire council launched undercover operations sparked by complaints from residents.

People who live close to schools in Barnsley have repeatedly complained about rubbish dropped at school gates and some local councillors have also become involved.

Barnsley Council said it had now decided to take a tough line, and had launched special operations at problem schools, with 20 pupils caught littering in just one day.

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Those who give false details when stopped, or children who attempt to run away and are later caught, could also find themselves in youth court under the strict new policy.

Each offender has been told they must pay the 75 fine or take part in an enforced litter picking exercise, which will be supervised by officers from the authority's regulatory services.

A Barnsley Council spokesman said: "Regulatory services staff regularly patrol the borough's 'enviro-crime hotspots' to try to witness offences. They work both in uniform and in plainclothes with unmarked vehicles.

"Last week a plainclothes patrol was undertaken in the Cudworth and Grimethorpe areas. This was in response to complaints from residents and local councillors about the amount of litter left by children on their way to and from school and during lunch breaks, in the areas around Priory School and Willowgarth School in particular.

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"Some 12 pupils from Priory School, Littleworth Lane, and eight from Willowgarth School Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, were caught littering on the day, and had their details taken.

"They will be offered a fixed penalty fine of 75 for littering, but most will find that their parents want them to take the preferred option of attending a two-hour supervised litter pick during their own time, either after school or in the school holidays."

The council said it was hoped that by attending a litter pick the young people will understand more about the problems that can be caused by the litter they drop on a daily basis.

Officers said this type of "restorative justice" had been commended by youth organisations and the Government as good practice when dealing with juvenile litter offenders.

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Schools in the borough have offered their support to the council if they need to identify any children who give false details or who run away when they are approached by council staff.

Pupils have been warned that it is a further offence to give false details to a council officer if stopped, and are being told lying or running away will result in the council deciding to take the case straight to the youth court rather than give them a fixed penalty or litter pick.

The spokesman added: "Council staff have been given messages of support by teachers and local residents who are upset about the amount of litter being thrown in the area, and about the additional costs to the schools of clearing up the litter left on their own school grounds.

"Regulatory services also run an ongoing program of education in the borough's secondary schools, where they discuss with children the impact litter and dog fouling in particular can have on their local environment, and highlight the legal consequences if they are caught."

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Under current law, any child aged 11 or over can commit a littering offence.

Barnsley Council's waste spokesman Roy Miller said: "It's important to realise, even from an early age, that littering is an antisocial activity, spoiling the area for the rest of the borough's residents and costing a lot of money to clear up.

"Whether they choose to pay the fine or work on litter picking, I hope that these offenders learn their lesson."