Litter bugs escape fines

Rockingham City Council rangers failed to issue a single littering infringement during last week’s long weekend, despite big amounts of strewn litter at the foreshore.

Beer bottles, plastic bags, containers, food wrappers and an array of other rubbish littered the city’s popular coastline attraction, which was named WA’s cleanest beach in 2010.

When the Sound Telegraph supplied photographs of rubbish on the city foreshore from Monday, October 1, Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels said the location was a ‘‘know litter hotspot’’.

Cr Sammels said rangers were kept extremely busy with ‘‘parking management and dog control’’.

Emma’s on the Boardwalk owner Alan Quinn said the area was left in a disgraceful state.

‘‘Anyone coming to Rockingham, down to our foreshore, would have been appalled the way the beach area was left,’’ he said.

‘‘The amount of debris that was left lying around was scandalous.

Mr Quinn believes more proactive measures, including more signage and issuing of fines, needs to be carried out on the foreshore to prevent a repeat of the situation nine days ago.

Cr Sammels said city rangers conduct regular foot patrols on the foreshore during summer and would be promoting a new initiative this summer.

‘‘This project, Family Friendly Foreshore, aims to increase awareness of residents and visitors that drinking alcohol in public places is a criminal offence,’’ he said.

It was hoped the initiative will lead to less rubbish being carelessly left on the foreshore and beach. If prosecuted, litterers face a fine of up to $5000.