Enforcement officers will have zero tolerance
by Graham Tutthill
gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk
Officers who are about to take to the streets of Dover, Deal and
Sandwich to combat litter and dog fouling will have a
zero-tolerance approach to their job.
That's the warning from the company XFOR which has
been given the contract for issuing fixed penalty notices to people
who drop litter or fail to clear up after their pets.
Council cabinet member Cllr Nick Kenton said only those who
deliberately dropped litter or acted with intent would be fined,
not those who accidentally dropped litter while getting something
out of their pockets.
Michael Fisher, group operations director for XFOR, said they
would take a zero-tolerance approach to littering “on any
scale”.
He said: “Local
residents have become increasingly frustrated by the amount of mess
across the town and, just as we see a large amount of litter at
gateways to towns and cities, the issue seems to be even more
prevalent at this gateway to the UK.
“At the request of the local authority, we will take a
zero-tolerance approach to litter, issuing tickets for a wide range
of offences.”
The six-month trial scheme will see a senior enforcement officer
and four environmental officers patrolling the town in uniform
“acting as a visible deterrent for would-be offenders” and issuing
fines to those who drop litter or fail to clean up dog mess.
Representatives from the enforcement team were out and about in
Dover today explaining to people what will be happening when the
new scheme comes into operation on February 1.
Full story in this week's Dover Mercury and East Kent
Mercury.
22/01/13
- Click here for more Deal, Dover and Sandwich news...
- Click here for more news from across the county...