Private litter patrols get green light

CHRIS GEE

ASCHEME which will see private patrol teams issuing £75 on the spot penalty notices for littering and dog fouling has been approved.

The environmental crime crackdown in Rossendale will see immediate enforcement action taken for those caught flytipping, dropping cigarette butts, chewing gum and food packaging and not picking up after their dogs, from January 2019.

Rossendale council’s cabinet unanimously approved the plans, announced earlier this month, which will be cost neutral for council tax payers.

Coun Jacqueline Oakes, cabinet member for operations, said the enforcement action would be an enhancement to what the council do already.

She said: “This is in response to residents’ concerns.

“At present we wouldn’t be able to afford sevenday coverage and this will release our staff to look at fly-tipping, particularly, and hopefully take more action with the resources we have available.”

Two uniformed officers will patrol the streets and parks, targeting identified hot spots.

Coun Oakes said they would be paid by the contractor ‘far above’ minimum wage and ‘better than we could offer, without a doubt’, adding that they would be mobile throughout the borough.

She said: “If they go to Bacup and issue two or three tickets they’re not going to stay in Bacup because word will soon get around.”

The company would retain all the penalty notice income, but also carry out the administration and take any court action.

Coun Christine Lamb said: “We don’t have the capacity at the moment to do a zero tolerance scheme to cover the whole borough seven days a week. I’m glad we’re calling it environmental crime as I think people don’t think they’re committing a crime when they are dropping a bit of paper. Most people don’t do it but the ones that do are a blight on our valley.”

Council leader Alyson Barnes said: “I absolutely welcome this. I know that this kind of system has been used in other places very successfully.”

She said that due to the nature of the work people from outside the borough may be employed in the enforcement officer roles.

At the end of a 12-month pilot the scheme will be evaluated by both parties and if successful then a tender process for a further contract would be started.