Ashfield's 'zero tolerance approach' to dog fouling and littering as 'staggering' new figures revealed

More than 800 penalty notices have been given to litter louts and irresponsible dog owners across the Ashfield district since the beginning of April, ‘staggering’ figures reveal.
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Ashfield District Council’s new enforcement team has handed out 796 fixed penalty notices for littering and eight to people who failed to clean up after their dog – which has seen folk hit in the pocket with fines of £100.

Council chiefs say a further 12 notices have also been dished out for fly-tipping offences – resulting in £400 in fines for law-breakers – by the authority’s community protection team during the same period.

The council is working with specialist private sector enforcement provider Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement (WISE) to punish folk who commit environmental crimes in the district.

The new enforcement team helping to clean up Ashfield. Photo: Ashfield District Council.The new enforcement team helping to clean up Ashfield. Photo: Ashfield District Council.
The new enforcement team helping to clean up Ashfield. Photo: Ashfield District Council.

As part of the hard-hitting drive to target culprits behaving irresponsibly across the area, the new enforcement officers have joined forces with the council’s community protection officers who patrol the Ashfield district’s town centres, parks, green spaces and other high footfall areas.

Coun Helen-Ann Smith, deputy leader of the council said: “These latest figures are staggering and proves the zero-tolerance approach we promised when bringing in the scheme.

"We want to make Ashfield a clean and safe place that residents can be proud of by cutting off this crime at the source.

“We all have a responsibility to keep the district clean, and this new pilot is proving that we will come down on those that think they can commit environmental crime and get away with it.”

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