Good morning

A quiet three days on the newsfront, but one change worth knowing about if you've ever considered dumping a mattress on the Common: St Albans council has just made that a much more expensive mistake.

In brief

Fly-tipping fines in Harpenden treble to £3,000

St Albans council's Public Realm Committee agreed on 10 September to raise the maximum on-the-spot fly-tipping fine from £1,000 to £3,000, using new government powers. Fines for duty-of-care breaches, such as businesses failing to dispose of waste properly, rise from £600 to £1,000. Whether the higher penalties actually change behaviour on Harpenden's quieter lanes and verges, where fly-tipping tends to happen, will depend on enforcement rather than the fine itself. READ →