Dedicated patrols to crack down on environmental crimes like littering, flytipping and graffiti have kicked off in Daventry town centre.
Following on from the success of the ‘Am I Bover’d?’ campaign last year, which raised awareness about this type of environmental issue, officers from Daventry District Council will now regularly be patrolling the streets specifically to tackle this type of environmental issue.
Officers have powers to issue fixed penality notices – fines of £75 for littering, graffiti and small-scale flytipping, up to £100 for exposing two or more vehicles for sale on the road, or failing to comply with waste bin notices. A fixed penalty notice of £200 can be issued for abandoning a car.
Failing to pay a fine within 14 days will result in the offence being referred to court and the offender paying a larger penalty.
The patrols will run alongside other initiatives across the whole of the district to tackle environmental issues, in conjuction with local residents and community groups.
The new powers are available to local authories under the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 and the Environmental Protection Act 1991. Daventry District Council implemented the enforcement strategy in 2006 to take a zero-tolerance approach to environmental crimes.
“Education should be the main weapon to combat environmental crimes such as flytipping and littering, but when education fails, enforcement action must be taken against those offenders who continue to break the law,” says Cllr Catherine Boardman, Environment Portfolio Holder for Daventry District Council.
“The Council spends £720,000* each year to cover the costs of street cleaning, removing dumped items from Council-owned land, and carrying out general improvements to the overall aspect of the district. If everyone took a bit more care, we could reduce this figure and we would all be a lot better off.
“The introduction of these fines should act as a deterrent to stop repeat offences and ensure that our district is kept free from unwanted litter, graffiti and abandoned items.”
* Environmental Cleansing (i.e. litter collection & street cleansing) is £720,000 (per Appendix 8e of '2008/09 Revenue & Capital Budget' report approved by Council on the 28 February 2008.
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