World's most expensive chip
June 29th 2006 Litter wardens look set to replace parking attendants as the nation's favourite enforcers. Doncaster Council is spearheading the popularity drive with its zero tolerance litter policy: last week Pauline Oakley was fined £75 for throwing a bad chip out of her car window, reports The Sun.
An eagle-eyed council warden spotted the scandalous act and handed her a ticket. Pauline said she had no idea dropping a chip was an offence. "It isn't like dropping a wrapper - it will decompose. The warden who fined me should have something better to do with his time."
It is the second time in recent months Doncaster's wardens have made headlines. Late last year 11 year old David Dyas was handed a £50 fine (prior to the increase) when an apple core fell out of his pocket when running home from school. He offered his mother (who had to pay the fine) £35 he'd saved up for family Christmas presents.
20,000 fixed penalty notices were issued in 2004/2005 according to Defra statistics, generating around £1million in revenue for local authorities. This figure looks set to rise with increased fines and increasingly dedicated wardens seeking to ensure their wages are justified.
However, according to Encams, the people behind Keep Britain Tiday, local authorities in England spend around £1.5million every day tidying up after the public. More articles from Cleaning Matters: | 
