Ashfield council employs private contractor to tackle environmental crimes like littering and dog fouling

Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement (WISE) has been tasked with establishing a dedicated team to crack down on littering and dog fouling.

Coun 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.”

She added: “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 as quickly as possible.”

The 12-month pilot scheme will see enforcement officers patrol town centres, parks, green spaces and high footfall areas.

Those caught committing environmental crime will be issued a fixed penalty notice on the spot or by post, ordering culprits to pay a £75 fine.

The council says the new arrangements will come at no additional cost to its budget, and could actually generate money to be invested back into the district.

Coun Smith said: “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.”

She added: “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.”

John Dunne, a former Royal Military Policeman who set up Merseyside company WISE, boasts a track record of work with some 70 councils across the UK over the past ten years.

In that time, his teams have issued more than 500,000 Fixed Penalty Notices and achieved an average payment rate of 75 per cent, resulting in at least 80,000 prosecutions.

For more information, see wasteenforcement.co.uk.

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