Council issues warning to litter louts

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has issued a warning for littering and dog fouling following the prosecution of over 100 people in the past 12 months.

The most recent prosecutions, involving three women and four men, for littering and failing to remove dog faeces, received a total of £460 fines and £680 costs at Teesside Magistrates Court on Wednesday 14th February 2007.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Protection, Councillor Joyce Benbow, said: “We are determined to prosecute anyone who doesn’t pay a fixed penalty notice issued to them. We do not forget and we will not ignore.

“If your case is taken to court and proven, then the fine and the court costs can be substantially more than the initial cost of accepting a fixed penalty notice.

“Our wardens do a fantastic job, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, to help maintain a pleasant environment and, in doing so, make a vital contribution in helping to make our Borough a cleaner, safer place to live.”

The Council’s Community Safety Wardens have issued 294 £50 fixed penalty notices for littering and dog fouling in the past 12 months.

A fixed penalty notice will not be issued in every instance and individuals do not have to accept the notice, however, the Council will, where appropriate, take individuals to court who fail to pay the fine within 14 days after they have accepted one. Should a fine not be accepted the matter will be taken to court.

It is an offence for people to refuse to give a Community Safety Warden their name and address when witnessed acting in an anti-social manner, littering or refusing to clear up dog fouling.

Wardens powers include enforce littering and dog fouling laws, carrying out patrols on foot, in vehicles and on cycles across communities and in hotspot areas, dealing with abandoned and dangerous vehicles, visiting vulnerable residents of the community, advising residents on anti-social behaviour and liaising with the Police.

The Council has six teams of warden patrolling the Borough. Their hours of patrol are normally 1pm till five minutes past midnight, 7 days a week.