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An east London borough has been crowned the littering capital of Britain, according to a damning new study. Newham boasts more litter bugs than anywhere in the country, with residents receiving nearly 50,000 fines for dumping rubbish in the last three years. This is equivalent to 13,319 fixed penalty notices (FPN) per 100,000 people, analysis by property agent Sell House Fast found. Greenwich finished in second place with 7,042 reports per 100,000 people, followed by Milton Keynes in third with 6,161 reports. The total number of littering incidents in Newham, which do not include fly-tipping, was significantly more than any British city, with Manchester taking second place with approximately 35,000 littering penalties. The punishment for dropping litter in Newham, including cigarette butts and chewing gum, involves a £150 fine, although serious or unpaid offences can result in prosecution. Newham — which is home to Westfield Stratford, the Olympic Park and London City Airport — has more than 1,800 public bins and provides weekly rubbish collections. However, figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that Newham’s high littering rate could be due to its population density of around 25,000 people per square mile, the eighth-highest in England. This, Sell House Fast argues, creates a higher volume of waste, which can be more difficult for the council to effectively manage. A report published last year by the countryside charity CPRE ranked Newham as the second-worst London borough for recycling, only behind Westminster. Councillor John Whitworth, Newham Council’s cabinet member for climate rmergency, air quality and environment, told The Standard: "These figures show the task Newham Council is facing. “We take littering extremely seriously in the borough and we have a zero-tolerance proactive approach towards anyone found discarding rubbish irresponsibly. He added: "We recently launched our Let's Love Newham campaign to encourage everyone to dispose of their rubbish responsibly and to report environmental issues directly to the Council via an app or our website." In 2022, the council promised to spend £40 million over four years to keep streets and neighbourhoods clean and cut reported fly-tipping by half.
