THIRTEEN residents have been fined more than £9,000 between them for littering offences in Thurrock.

A council prosecution saw 14 cases come before Southend Magistrates on Monday and Wednesday, with 13 being found guilty and ordered to pay fines, costs and a victim surcharge.

It comes as the Gazette teamed up with the council to promote Love Thurrock - a joint initiative urging residents to keep the borough clean.

Rob Gledhill, Thurrock Council leader, said "This is a great result for the residents of Thurrock as it will send out the message that our streets are not to be treated as a convenient tip for those too irresponsible to use a bin or take it home with them. 

"Less than a year of running the council the Conservatives administration introduced an environmental enforcement team that has issued over 1000 fixed penalty notices for littering and taken 16 litterbugs to court to secure massive massive fines. Further more this has been done at no cost to the taxpayer."

Mr Gledhill continued: "These prosecutions are the first of many and form part of our new enforcement strategy. Once this is implemented we will see fixed penalty notices for littering, flytipping and graffiti rise to the maximum permissible.