Spitting could be banned in Harrow and offenders fined over the habit the council leader branded 'yobbish' and 'unhygienic'.
The authority would need the central government to introduce a specific by-law to make spitting in public in Harrow an offence and to do so it must demonstrate a local desire to tackle the problem behaviour.
In the coming days, people will be able to sign Harrow Council's petition asking for a change in the law that means those who break it can be fined.
The consultation will be live for three months and the results will then be sent to the Department for Central and Local Government.
Councillor Susan Hall, Conservative leader of Harrow Council, said: “I am sure everyone finds spitting in the street a repulsive habit.
“Not only is it yobbish but it is also unhygienic and leads to staining of pavements which costs taxpayers in the long run.
“It is time to render this practice unacceptable.
“But to do that we need to show that people in Harrow want firm but sensible powers to deal with it. I would urge everyone to sign our petition to create a new by-law banning spitting in public, and send a strong signal to central government that we need action now.”
If successful, Harrow Council would have the ability to set the level of spot fines for this offence, and suggest scenarios in which the proposed offence would not apply – for example sports fixtures.
Hounslow Council is currently attempting to become only the second local authority in the UK to outlaw spitting, with their own three-month petition attracting more than 5,300 signatures.
Enfield was the first council to get an anti-spitting by-law, and £500 fines and prosecutions, after 4,000 locals backed the move. People who spit in a handkerchief, tissue, bin, or containers are not committing an offence there.
Waltham Forest Council in East London has been issuing fines for spitting without a by-law since February last year after choosing to class spit as waste.
The online petition will go live on www.harrow.gov.uk/spitting in the next few days, and paper copies will also be placed in Harrow Civic Centre in Station Road, Harrow, and in libraries.
