A new council partnership which aims to crack down on littering in Somerset West and Taunton is to start next Friday (April 1).

Litter enforcement officers will be patrolling the district to reduce littering as part of a trial scheme adopted by Somerset West and Taunton Council’s (SWT) executive councillors in January.

Anyone caught breaking the law by dropping litter will receive an on-the-spot fine of £100. Culprits who fail to pay and are summonsed to court could face a maximum littering penalty of £2,500.

Councillors at SWT have pledged to crack down on litter in response to an increase in incidents and concern from local residents.

The new enforcement scheme will be carried out in partnership with East Hampshire District Council’s ethical enforcement company EH Commercial Services, which has a track record for positively impacting local authority areas across the south of England.

The enforcement scheme supports the council’s recently published Litter Strategy, which aims to reduce litter more widely through public education to encourage positive change.

It also follows a recent roll-out of frequently serviced and strategically sited bins to make it easier to dispose of litter.