LITTER louts and fly-tippers could find it harder to avoid fines.

Kirklees Council is planning a huge increase in the number of staff able to issue fixed penalty notices for environmental crimes including littering, fly-tipping, dog fouling, graffiti and fly-posting.

Currently only 64 people from the council’s Environmental Services are able to impose the fines of up to £300.

But the council’s Cabinet will decide on Tuesday whether to increase the number of workers able to fine people by more than 300.

This would include 205 police officers, 61 people from Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, nine council licensing staff, 16 people from Leisure Services and 35 parking wardens.

If the Cabinet approves the idea, staff will be trained and the new scheme will be launched in April. Money raised will be shared among the various groups taking part.

Kirklees deputy leader Clr Kath Pinnock supports the move.

The Cleckheaton Lib Dem said: “Our Environmental Services have an annual budget of £20m and a good proportion of that is spent on street cleaning. It makes sense to encourage people not to drop litter – and to penalise people who do.

“We’re spending a lot of money clearing up after people who insist on dropping litter in the street so I think this idea will get the thumbs up from most people.”

Tony Coletta, who owns Occasions on Market Avenue, believes the proposed change could help clean up the town centre.

He said: “There’s no excuse for littering and dog fouling, it runs the town down. The council have had the power for some time to deal with people who behave like that and I’d like to see them use these powers.”

Mr Coletta, who also runs Greenhead Park Cafe, would like park rangers to be given the power to issue fixed penalty notices as well.

He said: “They are obvious people to be given these powers, it would let them do their job properly.”

Mr Coletta said littering and dog fouling were problems in Greenhead Park.

He said: “We constantly get kids coming into the cafe who’ve been playing in the park and need to wash dog dirt off their hands. It’s not nice.

“Sometimes people empty the bins so they can move them to use as goalposts.”