THE tough grassroots crackdown on litter louts and nuisance neighbours promised by the Government has been welcomed by local representatives in the York area - but there are worries about how it will work in practice.

Sweeping powers announced in last week's Queen's Speech will allow even the smallest parish council to tackle troublemakers head-on, as new legislation will give local authorities across York and North Yorkshire the clout to issue on-the-spot fines to those who spoil their communities.

Council representatives from across the region gave the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill a warm welcome - but many expressed concerns about how the legislation will work in practice.

Large local authorities, including City of York Council and Hambleton District Council, already have powers to issue fines for a range of environmental offences.

The new legislation will extend those powers to town and parish councils too.

The law will also close a loophole in current legislation which means refusing to give a name and address to a local authority officer issuing a fine is not an offence.

Under the new bill, those who give false information can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000.

Shirley Shepherd, chairman of Easingwold Town Council, said: "We have got a wonderful playing area and we do not want dogs to foul there. It is Hambleton District Council that has the dog wardens - but they are never around when needs must. There is a warning sign - but at the moment the town council has no powers to enforce it. For the first time, these powers will let us do that.

"There's also a problem with schoolchildren coming into the town and dropping litter, and vandals spray-painting graffiti on walls. We know exactly where the problems area, but until now we weren't able to tackle them ourselves.

"It's a good idea - but there are issues. There are only 11 councillors on the town council. Do we choose one person to give up their free time to go around enforcing these new powers?"

Shirley Smith, Askham Bryan Parish Council clerk, said: "I think these new powers will be a good thing in principle, but the Government has got to back us up. We are down to five councillors here - and there's a vacancy that we're having trouble filling. There's just not that many of us.

"Anyway, I'm not sure the louts of today will take lessons from us. They don't even respect the police these days, let alone Askham Bryan Parish Council."

Beverley Parr, a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), said: "This is about listening to local authorities and giving them a range of tools. It will be a matter for local authorities to prioritise.

"Local authorities themselves can keep the receipts of fines they issue, so there is a greater incentive for enforcement."

What the changes will mean

THE Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill will introduce a number of new measures to combat a range of problems:

Town and parish councils will be given the power to issue on-the-spot fines for environmental offences

It will become an offence not to give a name and address when issued with a fine by a local authority

Litter laws will be extended to include fly-posting and graffiti, and penalties will be made tougher

Fines for environmental offences will be set by the local authority

Dog byelaws will be streamlined to clamp down on dog fouling

Local authorities will be given powers to enable them to remove abandoned cars immediately.

Updated: 08:49 Monday, November 29, 2004