Enviro-crime
The Council follows an active enforcement approach for those who disregard the law.
What we do - enforcement of littering, dog fouling and fly tipping
Within the Community Protection Unit of Neighbourhood and Adult Services we have the Enviro-Crime unit which deals robustly with:
- Fly-tipping
- Litter
- Dog Fouling
- Stray and roaming Dogs
One of the most active units in the country, the team regularly prosecute for offences relating to the above where education and awareness raising fails.
Acting upon complaints from members of the public and where offences are witnessed various legal approaches can be followed, including initiating court proceedings or the serving of fixed penalty fines. We can, and do, prosecute residents and businesses who commit environmental crimes.
By listening to our customers we know that strong enforcement is needed and regularly issue £80 fixed penalty notices to anyone caught littering or leaving dog mess in public places and if the penalty is not paid we report the person to court, where a fine of up to £1000 can be issued. For more serious offences, like fly-tipping, we take direct prosecution to the courts where the level of penalty can be up to £50,000 or even imprisonment for 5 years if the prosecution leads to Crown Court.
Joint working with the Environment Agency and information passed through from other Council services help efficient effective deployment of the enforcement officers to tackle particular locations of concern. Links with schools also has resulted in focused enforcement around schools with littering problems. The unit also works pro-actively with South Yorkshire Police to challenge and deter illegal waste carriers.
Our dog wardens respond to reports of stray dogs and also patrol "hot spot" areas. When a stray dog is seized for the first time the dog is returned, if possible, to the owner. Subsequent pick ups or where the dog has no collar tag results in the dog being taken to the Council's contract kennels.
To make a report, please contact us