A total of £12,000 has been collected from litterbugs in Barnet Council’s latest push against environmental abuse.

The Keep Barnet Clean campaign was launched in July 2016 to keep the borough free of littering, flytipping and other environmental crimes like public urination, spitting and dog fouling.

Barnet Council’s latest enforcement action to tackle environmental crime has seen 28 people ordered to pay £430 each for failing to pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for littering.

All of those taken to court were originally issued with a £80 fixed penalty notice, reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days, before further action was taken.

FPNs allow people to agree an offence has taken place without admitting their guilt, then the council agree not to take any further action against those who pay the charge.

The defendants found guilty made no response or payment, and the offence was proved in their absence at Willesden Magistrates Court last Tuesday (February 21).

Chair of the environment committee Cllr Dean Cohen said: “This sends a strong message to those not paying fixed penalty notices – we won’t just ignore it.

“We will continue to pursue the non-payment of fixed penalty notices, and I am pleased to see the courts agree this kind of behaviour is not acceptable in Barnet.”

Since the campaign’s launch, over 2,400 fixed penalty notices have been issued for littering offences.

Across the 28 defendants, the total amount paid was £12,040 of which Barnet Council will receive £5,600.