Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s tough stance on tackling the growing litter problem has proven highly effective since it teamed up with Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) in May last year to clamp down on environmental crime.
A record number of £80 fixed penalty notices – 4,058 in total – has been handed out over the past seven months by WISE Environmental Enforcement Officers who patrol the borough seven days a week in search of people who do not dispose of slitter and smoking materials responsibly or clean up after their dog.
Upon hearing the latest figures, Lord Mayor Alderman Glenn Barr said, “Littering of any kind in our borough is never acceptable and will not be tolerated. We as a council take this type of crime very seriously and are determined to stamp it out.
Thanks to our enhanced enforcement approach with WISE, we are now seeing a marked increase in the number of fixed penalty notices being issued across the borough for all littering and dog fouling offences.
Hopefully these latest figures will remind people to dispose of their litter properly and to clean up after their dog, or be left counting the cost. Potential offenders have been warned many times that they must pick up or pay up.
Littering degrades the quality of the local environment, negatively affects the perception of the borough and blights our lives in many ways. Maintaining a clean and litter-free environment is everyone’s responsibility.”
Where an offence has been committed and a fixed penalty issued but not paid, Council are taking legal proceedings against the alleged offenders.
A Lurgan resident, who was caught dropping a cigarette butt at Hill Street in the town, was ordered by Craigavon Magistrates Court last week to pay a £180 fine including costs for the offence.
Further cases relating to littering will be brought before the courts in the coming months.
