Council’s zero tolerance approach to Environmental Crime

Ashfield District Council will be taking a zero tolerance approach to environmental crime as part of its new enforcement scheme.

A new dedicated Environmental Enforcement team will be created to further tackle littering and dog fouling across the District. The Council will be working with specialist private sector enforcement provider WISE on a 12 month pilot that will see fixed penalty notices issued to those caught committing environmental crime in our communities.

The team of Enforcement Officers will patrol town centres, parks & green spaces and high footfall areas. The new scheme comes at no additional cost to the Council, and will actually see us generate money that we can invest back into the District.

Cllr Helen-Ann Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said:

“The Council is committed to making Ashfield a cleaner and greener place to live, environmental crime can adversely impact on the local environment and can also influence how attractive areas are to residents, workers, visitors, local businesses.

“We have been reviewing other councils who have been running new pilot schemes to see how our new team can hit the ground running, and make a positive impact on the District as quickly as possible.”

Those caught committing environmental crime will be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice which requires them to pay a £75 fine.

Cllr Smith continues:

“This zero tolerance approach should make residents think twice before they chose not to pick up after their dog, or drop litter. It could make for a very expensive coffee if you chose to dump your cup rather than take it home to put in the bin. We are investing highly in our town centres and green spaces and we want residents to be proud of where they live. We all have a responsibility to keep the District clean, and this new pilot will come down on those that think they can commit environmental crime and get away with it.”