Fixed penalties provide enforcement agencies, including local authorities, parish councils and national park authorities, with an effective and visible way of responding to low level environmental crimes.

In this section you will find recent statistics, details on how to return your FPN data, model forms and information on use of receipts.

Fixed Penalty Notice Database

All local authorities and any other bodies with FPN issuing powers must submit a returns form to the Local Environmental Quality division at Defra each year, detailing all the fixed penalty notices issued for relevant offences for that period.

• Access the FPN database for FPN returns
• FPN spreadsheet (Excel 40 KB)

A user guide has been prepared on how FPN returns can be uploaded and includes the form required to upload FPN figures to the FPN database.

• Guidance manual (PDF 1 MB) (updated April 2010)

You are strongly advised to read the manual for inputting FPN Returns.

Form templates

Local authorities are no longer required to use the prescribed forms for issuing fixed penalty notices for litter and dog fouling offences.

The model form below is provided as an example only. There are no prescribed fixed penalty notice forms for the offences created or amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 (or Regulations).

• Fixed Penalty Notice form – (Word 35 KB)
• Fixed Penalty Notice form (PDF40 KB)

Statistics

Data on the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for environmental offences issued by English local authorities has been collected annually since 1997. The introduction of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 enabled more comprehensive information for environmental crimes to be collated, other than litter and dog fouling, which was the case prior to this.

• You can find the latest data on FPNs on data.gov.uk

Returns

All local authorities and any other bodies with fixed penalty notice issuing powers must submit a returns form to the Local Environmental Quality division at Defra each year, detailing all the fixed penalty notices issued for relevant offences for that period.

Receipts

Section 119 of the Local Government Act 2003 gives more flexibility to local authorities in how they use the receipts from fixed penalty notices issued for litter and dog fouling offences in order to encourage proactive management of local environments.

The guidance note contains the procedures for local authorities which issue fixed penalty notices for litter and dog fouling offences. The guidance refers to local authorities who have gained a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ rating on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) and those authorities who have been piloting these powers under their Local Public Service Agreements. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, and its accompanying regulations, make provision for the spending of fixed penalty receipts, and allow high-performing local authorities to use them on any function.

• Guidance for section 119 of the Local Government Act 2003 – Fixed Penalty Notices for Littering and Dog Fouling (PDF 30 KB)
• Section 119 of the Local Government Act 2003 (PDF 10 KB)