Crackdown on dog and litter mess

Things could soon get tougher for people who allow their dogs to foul public places, breach dog control orders or cause litter problems in Wyre.
Wyre Council is cracking down on litterering and dog foulingWyre Council is cracking down on litterering and dog fouling
Wyre Council is cracking down on litterering and dog fouling

Cabinet members of Wyre Council are today set to consider bringing in a new hard-hitting measure to tackle environmental crime issues after taking onboard the views of fed-up residents.

The council is looking at a 12 month pilot scheme which would see a professional firm of ‘specialist enforcement providers’ tackling offenders and handing out fixed penalty notices.

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Filmed evidence from body-worn, high definition cameras would be used in all cases where notices are handed out.

As part of the scheme, the fines dished out for littering would be increased to £100 from the current £75, with an early payment option for littering set at £80 within 10 days – up from the current £50. The penalty for dog fouling will stay at £100

Wyre has been looking at environmental crimes since 2012 and even revised staffing structures to deal with the issues, but is now looking to go further.

A report states: “Dog fouling, littering, and chewing gum have been a common theme causing concerns for residents and businesses alike, with clean streets and irresponsible dog ownership ranking high in Wyre surveys.

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“Despite our pro-active approach there are continued challenges to delivering a cleaner borough.”

If approved, a firm called District Enforcement would take up the role.

Wyre is looking at a model which is “cost neutral for the authority and offers least risk”.

It would see District collecting all the revenue from the fixed penalty notices with 12.5 per cent passed back to the council for each notice paid, the rest retained by District to fund their work.

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