To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what value of fines were levied in England and Wales by local authorities with respect to offences under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in each year since 1997-98. (137890)

I have been asked to reply.

The number and value of fines relating to littering offences in England are shown in the following table.

Under sections 92 and 94 of the Environmental Protection Act, local authorities can prosecute for a maximum £2,500 fine for failure to comply with either a litter clearing notice or street litter control notice. We do not hold data on the number or value of these fines prior to 2006. From April 2006, a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) is available as an alternative to prosecution for these offences and this data will be available in July. Data relating to offences in Wales are held by the Welsh Assembly Government.