Barbados will fine dirty neighbours

Barbados residents who refuse to keep their premises clean will be fined starting in April as the prime minister makes law the need to keep the island appealing to tourists.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Attorney General Dale Marshall has already done the initial work to make it law, which she said Cabinet would review and approve “shortly”.

“In addition to that, you can’t just legislate without letting people know there is a new marshal in town. You’ve got to properly publicly educate people about what you expect of them,” said Mottley.

As such, she said there would be three months of sensitization and letters of warning as the legislation was being put in place, before Government introduce “a series of civil penalties so that people will be ticketed” for not cleaning their properties.

Mottley could not immediately say what the penalty would be but indicated that it would cost “just a little bit more than it would cost for you to pay a man to come and clean by you.

“We want Barbadians to understand that the government have given you a ‘bly’ for the next three months. You have now enough time to take up responsibility,” Mottley warned.

She said the penalty was necessary because this country will end up in economic problems again if there is a public health crisis in the middle of a tourism season that affects productivity.

She also noted that environmental health and environmental protection agencies would be “going after” those with derelict vehicles. Initially, derelict buildings on Highway One and Highway Seven and the “town centres” will be targeted.

Mottley also pointed out that the 13 depots of the Ministry of Transport and Works had until Jan. 10 to provide an inventory of all the culverts and drains in Barbados.

Stating that the country would be embarking on a beautification programme, Mottley said as part of the national drive, the Barbados Water Authority would be putting all their pipes underground.