DROPPING litter could now land you a £500 fine – with on-the-spot penalities set to triple in an anti-social behaviour crackdown.
The current maximum penalty of £150 for littering or spraying graffiti will increase threefold under government plans.
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said that the maximum fine for fly-tipping will also rise from £400 to £1,000.
The money raised by the fines will be set aside for councils to spend cleaning up blighted areas.
Mrs Pow said: “Littering and fly-tipping are cynical and opportunistic crimes – damaging wildlife, creating eyesores and ruining our enjoyment of the great outdoors.