BATON ROUGE - Those contributing to the blight problem in East Baton Rouge Parish may soon be facing stiffer fines. 

The East Baton Rouge Metro Council voted in favor of allowing judges to impose higher fines for the owners of blighted properties. 

Judges may now impose fines of up to $1,000 for the first offense, $3,000 for the second offense and up to $5,000 for the third and any subsequent offenses. Each day following the third offense will count as an additional offense.

The item specifies that any unauthorized accumulation of garbage, debris, etc. on any premises is considered a nuisance and is prohibited.

The ordinance comes in response to Baton Rouge's growing blight problem. On Monday the WBRZ Investigative Unit reported that there were nearly 8,000 blighted properties in the parish, and a large number of crime in the area falls in close proximity to those properties.