IF YOU drop litter in Brentwood then we will come down on you like a tonne of bricks.
That's the message from Tory councillor Chris Hossack, after Brentwood Borough Council decided it will be introducing on-the-spot fines of up to £75 for those who are caught dropping rubbish.
Cllr Hossack, who first proposed that the authority introduced tougher measures to combat litter louts earlier this year, told the Gazette this week: "I want people who drop litter in Brentwood to think twice.
"We need to come down like a tonne of bricks on people who make our streets a mess and get the message out that if you drop litter you will be fined, that's it."
He added: "It is a little bit of a stick approach to try to get people to change their behaviour.
"If there are say 5,000 people who habitually drop litter in Brentwood and we can get that down to 2,500 with fines then it's going to make a big difference."
The council has yet to decide how much it would fine someone who is caught dropping rubbish, although Cllr Hossack, who represents Hutton East, has a figure in mind.
He said: "I was walking around Maidstone in Kent the other day and there were signs on lampposts saying that if you drop litter you will be fined £75.
"That is what other towns have done and I think it would need to be in that ballpark."
Cllr Hossack is also keen that council officers hand out fixed term penalty notices across the borough and not just in areas close to Brentwood High Street.
"I think the council does a pretty good job of keeping the town centre clean but some of the country lanes, such as Sandpit Lane and Doddinghurst Road, are appalling," he said.
Council leader Louise McKinlay added: "Anything that encourages people not to drop litter can only be a good thing."
Tougher measures to combat litterbugs were agreed at the last meeting of the council's environment panel earlier this month.
A council spokesman said this week: "The council will now be developing a plan on how it can best implement the decisions made by the panel and we will make further announcements shortly."
