Nick Hewer in furious outburst over ‘disgraceful’ paid litter snitches: ‘This isn’t East Germany in the war’

Nick Hewer had a furious rant on Good Morning Britain, blasting the idea that members of the public could be paid to snitch on people who drop litter.

The Countdown host blasted the proposal as ‘disgraceful’ in a fiery debate with Apprentice star Bushra Shaikh and ITV presenters Alex Beresford and Charlotte Hawkins, insisting that it’s ‘not British’.

Appearing on today’s instalment to discuss the rubbish that was left in parks across the UK as people enjoyed the sunshine, he fumed: ‘There’s nobody who’s more obsessed with litter than me. I hate it.

‘However, it’s the duty of a citizen to report it, not for money, this isn’t Stasi, East Germany in the Cold War. What are we going to start with next? Maybe we should snitch for a few quid if we spot somebody speeding, or parking on a double yellow? 

‘It’s a bad thing, it’s not a British thing. We should do the right thing. Report them by all means, but for money? I think it’s disgraceful. I don’t want my grandchildren to grow up in a society whereby for a few quid, you’ll snitch on a fellow citizen. 

‘Go and address them personally, say “You’ve done this littering here, pick it up. And if you don’t pick it up, I’ll pick it up for you.” Money for snitching is a disgrace and I hate it.’

When asked whether he thought this could lead to confrontations, Nick continued: ‘Absolutely! Of course it will. And one person against another, it’ll lead to fist fights. It’s awful.

‘I think it’s appalling and the whole solution to this is to get the kids at a very young age and drum into them, that we must look after our countryside. 

‘I spent a lot of time in France. Do you think this sort of carry on happens in France? They love their countryside so much they’d prefer to have a tooth pulled out than drop litter. There is no litter in France, because they love their country, and they understand that it’s everybody’s space.’

Bushra had an opposing view, and suggested that people who were paid to snitch on others was a ‘win-win’ scenario, as those who were tempted to leave their litter would be discouraged, and others would have some extra money to hand.

However, Nick was having none of it, and furiously hit back: ‘If you want to scrabble around to add a few quid by reporting on your neighbours, that’s up to you.

‘But it’s not a country that I want to live in, or that I want [my] grandchildren to live in.

‘There’s nobody who hates this more than me, but I do not want to grow up in a society where everybody’s running around like in Stasi, East Germany, snitching on each other for a few quid. 

‘I think it’s awful.’

Noted.

Good Morning Britain continues on weekdays, at 6am, on ITV.

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