TOUGHER measures are being put in place to tackle anti-social behaviour and improve the local environment.

From April 1, Stockton Borough Council will impose a higher tariff for existing fixed penalty fines - and introduce new categories.

The higher level of fines coincides with the introduction of 20 uniformed neighbourhood enforcement officers.

On-the-spot fines for littering will rise from £50 to £75, dog fouling from £50 to £80, graffiti from £50 to £110 and fly-posting from £50 to £180.

New categories will be introduced with fines of £200 for vehicle abandonment, £90 for distributing free literature and £120 for offering two or more vehicles for sale from a private address.

From last April to February, the council issued 113 fines for littering, 14 for fly-posting, and one for dog fouling.

The 355 abandoned cars in the same period could have generated the council £71,000 under the new rules.

Stockton council's head of community protection, Mike Batty, said: "The main purpose of these fines is to deter people from committing these environmental crimes in the first place.

"There's one very simple way to avoid them - do not commit an environmental crime.

"We would far prefer to discourage people from committing these crimes and forego any income that might have been raised.

"The income from fixed penalty notices is mostly spent on legal costs of prosecuting the small number of people who don't respond by paying on the fixed penalty notice.

That's one of the reasons we offer a discount for prompt payment."

Prosecution remains an option, but the council says education is the cornerstone for progress and it will work closely with schools to educate young people about the environment.

Councillor Steve Nelson, cabinet member for the environment, said: "While education is the best way forward, there will, unfortunately, always be a minority of people who simply do not care for their area.

"As a counci, we owe it to the vast majority of responsible citizens to target the irresponsible minority and show them that their behaviour is simply unacceptable.

"These new, tougher penalties, together with the additional powers we have given our enforcement officers, demonstrate that we really mean business."