Smile, you're on TV and you owe us £80

The London borough of Hackney has empowered a team of 11 staff to use CCTV to film people littering or allowing their pets to foul walkways. The film evidence will be used on individuals who refuse to pay on-the-spot fines.

 The 11-strong team, which has been given permission to discreetly film people they suspect may be poised to drop litter, has already been at the centre of a dispute over human rights.

The Hackney scheme - the first of its kind in London - enables environmental enforcement officers to patrol the streets and to film people dropping litter or allowing their dogs to foul. The individual then faces a spot fine of up to £80. If they decline to pay, they could face prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500.

A Hackney council spokeswoman said it was necessary to film people dropping litter to provide an accurate verbal and visual record, but the video would only be shown if the matter went to court.

Read the rest of this item from ThisisLondon here

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