Lambeth Council is cracking down on the rising problems of littering and abandoned vehicles, after it found the bulk of litterers live outside the borough.

Those found littering will be slapped with fines of between £100 and £150 – an increase from the former charge of between £50 and £80.

The authority has also created a  new charge for abandoned vehicles of between £150 and £200, after forking out £7000 a month on abandoned vehicles.

The new charges are part of Lambeth’s ‘zero tolerance’ towards environmental crime, a council report said.

The annual cost of street sweeping and litter collection is approximately £7m, with the increased charges going towards street sweeping and litter

collection services, the report outlines.

The number of abandoned vehicles has been increasing since 2015, when 762 vehicles in the borough were abandoned.

The following year 1333 vehicles were abandoned, which rose to 1365 in 2017/18.

“There is a widespread problem with abandoned vehicles across the borough and there is a need to shape behaviours of people who believe they can abandon a vehicle on the highway instead of disposing of their vehicle safely and appropriately,” the report said.

“We are currently spending on average £7000 a month on additional vehicle pound storage costs due to an increase in abandoned vehicles.”

The authority took a random sample test of 50 fines issued which confirmed 84 per cent of all fines went to offenders who live outside of the borough.

It is hoped the new charges will deter people from littering and abandoning their vehicles, the report continues.

Unpaid fines are routinely referred to the local Magistrates and can end up costing offenders from up to £1000 in the cases of nuisance vehicles and up to £2500 for littering, the report said.