Council Calls for a Cleaner Kingston

Kingston Council is launching a campaign today to encourage local people and visitors to play a greater part in the effort to move the borough from ‘clean to pristine.’

The campaign is targeting five problems that have been identified in Kingston upon Thames: general littering, cigarette butts, chewing gum, dog fouling and, in some parts of the borough, street urination.

The campaign appeals to everyone to play their part by refraining from these activities and promises to save significant sums of money if everyone, residents and visitors alike, gets onboard.

Councillor Terry Paton, Cabinet Member for Resident Services at Kingston Council, said:
“We spend £2 million a year cleaning up litter, dog fouling and other mess in our borough. But money is tight and we could better spend some of this money to support other essential services.

“The concept of this campaign is a simple one – if we all pull together we will save public money and we will have a cleaner borough. I know the majority of people are not malicious when they litter or allow their dogs to foul – but they are sometimes being thoughtless.

“So this campaign is simply asking everyone to think before they do something nasty, take pride in our fantastic borough and if everyone can do that then we will all win. Our slogan is a simple one: ‘You would not do this at home’, so please do not do it on the streets and in the parks of our Royal Borough.

“We know that most people already do the right thing. For those of you who occasionally do not, this campaign should make you think twice. But for those who persist, we are now also issuing fines of between £80 and £100, and we have issued over 400 already.

“I really hope everyone who either lives in, or visits, our borough will get into the spirit of this campaign. If that happens by working together we can all move Kingston upon Thames from ‘clean to pristine’, and save money at the same time.”

Litter fines came into force on 8 June, closely followed by fines for allowing your dog to foul and not clearing it up a month later. Both offences carry a hefty on-the-spot fine of £80 and £100 respectively.