LITTER-lout fleet drivers are being hit in the pocket by local authorities when they are caught in the act.

A fixed penalty fine of £50 can be levied on anyone caught littering under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Members of the East Anglian regional meeting of ACFO, the fleet operators’ association, heard one driver was spotted in a supermarket car park by an enforcement officer, who took down the vehicle registration number. The fleet then received a fine, which was passed on to the driver.

Members also heard that another driver was fined £75 after being spotted by a closed-circuit television operator flicking a cigarette butt out of the window. CCTV is increasingly being used for penalty enforcements.

Peterborough City Council recently started publishing images on its website of people suspected of dropping litter in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. The scheme involves CCTV operators recording any examples of alleged littering before issuing an image of the suspected offender for publication, asking residents to name the suspect.

Reports of CCTV monitoring leading to fines have come from most major cities in the country.

Although CCTV has made it more efficient to enforce the law, it is increasing the burden on fleet managers.