FINES for littering and fly-tipping are set to increase in the borough as the council looks to press ahead with the ambition of making Leigh and Wigan rubbish-free by 2030.

The proposals approved by cabinet mean the current fixed penalty notices (FPN) fee levels have been amended for some environmental crimes with immediate effect.

Under the changes, offenders will see fines increase for littering (including from vehicles) from £120 to £150 but this will be discounted to £75 if paid within 14 days.

Fly-tippers who are found to be flouting the law will be forced to pay £400 with the discounted 14-day payment coming to £200.

The council calculates that over £4m is spent taking litter off streets, parks and greenspaces every year and this includes £700,000 on fly tipping alone.

Cllr Paul Prescott, cabinet member for environment, said: “Littering blights our environment and is expensive to clean up. Everyone has a part to play in ensuring we look after our borough for future generations.

“The right level of deterrent balanced with the right level of education is critical in encouraging responsible use of our built up or natural environments.”

The move is timely following the launch of the council’s innovative and more targeted litter strategy last summer which aims to make Wigan and Leigh litter free by 2030.

It’s hoped this can be achieved by encouraging people to be good citizens and to be proud of the areas they live.

As part of The Deal it is vital that residents don’t litter and dispose of their waste responsibly and fixed penalties provide an effective and visible way of responding to environmental crime.

“If all residents dispose of their litter responsibly and recycling their waste correctly we can keep council tax low,” Cllr Prescott added.

“Our environmental education and enforcement team continues to work with residents to tackle all types of environmental crime, ensuring we have clean and tidy communities.

“We encourage anybody who witnesses littering or fly-tipping to report it to us with as much information as possible so we can take action.”