It is an offence to drop litter. If you do, you may receive a fixed penalty notice. If you get a fixed penalty notice, you must pay the penalty by the date on the notice. If you disagree with the penalty, you can go to court and argue your case. But if you do nothing, further legal action may be taken against you.
If you get a fixed penalty notice that you disagree with and want to argue against, you can get help from an experienced adviser, for example at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Your local authority should make sure that streets, parks and open spaces are kept clean. Local authorities and other public bodies such as government departments and transport operators must also keep their own public land clear of litter and refuse.
If you want to report litter on land owned by a public body, you should contact the organisation concerned. If no action is taken, you can approach the local authority environmental health department.
Additionally, your local authority can take measures to force individuals and organisations to control litter on their land. It can do this by, for example:
issuing a fixed penalty notice to a person who drops litter
issuing a community protection notice requiring a person, business or organisation to take certain steps as regards litter