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Spitting slapped with instant fine in Lambeth in new tough approach to antisocial behaviour

Spitting, urinating in the street, failing to clear up dog mess, fly tipping or littering will result in on the spot fines of up to £80 in Lambeth.

Lambeth Council has said it is cracking down on those ‘who show no pride in where they live’ and issued its first fixed penalty notice in October 2014 for spitting, resulting in a court case and £120 fine.

A new enforcement team will also begin work this summer with powers to respond to incidents of anti-social behaviour at a local, neighbourhood level.

Councillor Jennifer Brathwaite, cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “Our ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign encourages residents to act in a responsible way to help make Lambeth a clean, pleasant and safe place to live a work.

“While the majority of residents already do this, a small minority are damaging the borough, polluting the streets, causing offence and costing the council valuable resources. We are now saying; ‘Not on our streets’.

“These on-the-spot fines will make offenders think twice about doing it again and protect our streets for our responsible residents.”

The ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign involves campaigning for cleaner air, making streets safer by introducing 20mph speed limits and promoting healthy eating in communities and schools in Lambeth.

In a further twist to the council’s tough love approach, £20 penalties will also be issued for those who leave their engine running, including buses, coaches and taxis that are idle for more than two minutes.

Campaign group Clean Air London found that the borough exceeded its annual limit for diesel pollution for four days so far this year.

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