Children who drop litter now run the risk of being issued with a formal written warning, under a schemed pioneered by Gateshead Council’s Neighbourhood Wardens.
Young people under the age of 15 seen dropping litter could now have a letter sent to their parents or guardian alerting them to their child’s behaviour - and urging action to correct it.

Wardens already have the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices - in effect, a £50 fine - to young people aged 15 or over seen dropping litter. However, wardens have felt that in some cases, especially with younger children, a stern warning and a letter to the parents might be a more appropriate response.

Written warnings were first trialled in the Pelaw area where there was a known litter problem associated with children from a nearby school using the local shops to buy their lunch. Over a two day period, wardens issued five written warnings, as well as a Fixed Penalty Notice issued to a 15-year-old. The result was a noticeable decrease in littering.

The scheme proved so successful that it has now been rolled out right across Gateshead, which means that wardens now have the means to deal with these type of offences being committed by under 15’s.

Councillor Linda Green, Gateshead’s Cabinet member responsible for Community Safety, says: “This was an idea which the wardens themselves came up with in response to a particular local problem, and it looks like their local knowledge and understanding of the area has paid off.

“What is so good about this scheme is that it is a relatively simple response to a difficult problem. A short letter to parents isn’t complicated and it doesn’t cost a lot of money, but in most cases it seems to be enough to deal with the problem satisfactorily.

She added: “We expect neighbourhood wardens throughout Gateshead will use such warning letters to deal with a variety of issues involving young people.�