LONDON - POSTMEN should face on-the-spot fines for dropping the red rubber bands they use to bundle letters, a litter watchdog said on Monday.
Keep Britain Tidy said Royal Mail staff should not be above the law and be subject to the same 80-pound (S$179) spot fine for littering as members of the public.
'Elastic bands may not be as visually offensive as dog dirt or half-eaten pizza, but they are most definitely litter,' said the charity's Dickie Felton. 'Is it really too much to ask them to put the rubber bands in their pocket as they do their daily rounds?'
He said it was difficult to assess the scale of the problem as the bands were also dropped on garden paths and driveways, but the charity estimated that six percent of all England's streets had red rubber bands strewn around them.
The watchdog urged Royal Mail to get to grips with the problem and has asked residents to collect the rubber bands as part of a 'Big Tidy Up' campaign.
'Between now and the end of April, we want residents to collect any red rubber bands they find and send them to Keep Britain Tidy. In early May we will then send them back to Royal Mail,' Mr Felton said. -- REUTERS
