Fines for littering in England: £100 by default, up to £500 by council

A cigarette end, chewing gum, a coffee cup, an apple core — all of it is litter under British law, and all of it carries an on-the-spot penalty. In March 2026 Defra issued new statutory guidance for councils, and for the first time it sets the amounts out plainly.

What a dropped cigarette costs

Littering is dealt with by a fixed penalty notice. The default penalty is £100. A council may set it as high as £500 or as low as £65. Pay within the first 14 days and a discount applies, but it cannot be less than £50.

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There is a separate rate for unauthorised distribution of free printed material on designated land: £100 by default, £150 maximum, £65 minimum.

The council chooses the figure, and the guidance expressly requires it to reflect local circumstances, including ability to pay.

If you do not pay

The notice must state how long you have before proceedings begin — at least 14 days from the date of issue. If the penalty is unpaid after 28 days, the council can recover it in court.

You can also refuse on principle and defend the case. But on conviction the fine for littering runs up to £2,500. The guidance specifically forbids officers from combining the two figures and frightening people with the court fine when handing over a notice.

Litter from a vehicle is different

If a bag goes out of a car window, the penalty can land on the vehicle's keeper even when it is not known who threw it. English district councils outside London issue a civil penalty in that case: £100 by default, £65 minimum, and a maximum equivalent to the maximum littering FPN, which is £500. There is no criminal liability attached.

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London authorities handle it differently, through a penalty charge notice.

Where the rules bite

It is an offence to drop litter on any land, or into water, that the public can access — including private land crossed by a right of way. Beaches above the average high water mark count too.

The authorities that can issue penalties are district councils, unitary authorities, the Broads Authority, national park authorities and parish councils.

Litter or fly-tipping

The line is drawn by volume. The code of practice offers a guideline: a single plastic sack of rubbish is still litter, and anything larger is usually treated as fly-tipping — which has its own rules and its own figures.

Children get notices too

A notice can be issued to a child aged between 10 and 17. If a child under ten drops litter, officers can only make the parents or legal guardian aware of it.

Even then, penalising teenagers is not automatic: the council must agree a policy in advance with the local youth offending team and will usually make enquiries with the police, that team and the child's parents before issuing anything.

When a notice should not be issued

The guidance names the cases where a fixed penalty notice is not appropriate: someone who put rubbish out for collection at the wrong time; someone who dropped litter accidentally; cases where prosecution is not in the public interest; and repeat offenders, who should be prosecuted rather than fined on the spot.

If you believe a notice was wrongly issued, you challenge it with the authority that issued it — the contact details must be on the notice. You will need evidence.