People caught littering or fly-tipping in Cheshire West and Chester will face higher fines from Friday (1 August).

Cheshire West and Chester Council has increased Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) levels for a range of environmental offences as part of a tougher approach to tackling fly-tipping and waste crime across the borough.

The changes follow a review of penalty levels and recent legislation allowing local authorities to impose higher fines.

Under the new arrangements, the standard littering fine will increase from £120 to £150, reduced to £90 if paid within seven days.

A new higher-level littering offence for multiple items of litter will carry a £200 fine, reduced to £150 for early payment.

Penalties for lower-level fly-tipping offences will rise from £400 to £500, with an early payment option of £300. More serious fly-tipping offences will attract fines of up to £1,000 - the maximum permitted by law - reduced to £600 if paid within 14 days.

The council will also begin issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for breaches of the household waste duty of care, targeting residents who fail to ensure their waste is collected by a registered waste carrier.

The authority said the tougher penalties are intended to deter environmental offences and reduce the cost of clearing illegally dumped waste.

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In 2024, 3,728 fly-tipping incidents were reported across Cheshire West and Chester, costing the council more than £200,000 to clear.

Councillor Stuart Bingham said: "Most people take pride in their neighbourhoods and dispose of their waste responsibly, but a small minority continue to blight our communities through littering and fly-tipping.

"These offences damage the environment, harm wildlife, create eyesores in our neighbourhoods and cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to clear up.

"By increasing the penalties and introducing a more structured approach to enforcement, we are sending a clear message that environmental crime will not be tolerated in Cheshire West and Chester."

The council said the revised enforcement framework is designed to distinguish between lower-level and more serious offences while retaining discounted penalties for early payment.

The new penalty levels take effect from 1 August. Residents can report fly-tipping here.