The National Park suffers from the damaging impact of those people who show no respect for the countryside by leaving litter, abandoned camping and barbecuing equipment, and a mess that then impairs other people’s enjoyment of the National Park and is damaging to wildlife and the environment.
Changes to the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 granted the Park Authority powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 enabling Authorised Officers to issue FPNs as they deem appropriate. These powers are discretionary, officers of the Park Authority are not obliged to issue notices for every litter or flytipping incident they witness.
The focus of the Park Authority is on encouraging responsible behaviour with education and awareness-raising being the principal route through which behavioural change is sought. The issuing of FPNs is a last resort for when all other approaches have been unsuccessful.
The FPN is an opportunity for the offending person to discharge liability and pay a fine in order to avoid a conviction for the offence under the EPA. The effect of giving the notice is that no proceedings shall be instituted for the offence before the expiration of 14 days following the date of the notice and that a person who pays the fixed penalty within that period shall not be convicted of the offence.
Payment can be made by the following methods:
If you have any queries relating to Fixed Penalty Notices, please contact us at fpn@lochlomond-trossachs.org or National Park Authority, Carrochan, 20 Carrochan Road, Balloch, G83 8EG.