People caught fly-tipping, littering or failing to pick up their dog's mess could face huge fines as a crackdown on bad behaviour comes into force.

Gravesham council announced its new anti-social behaviour strategy (ASB) shortly before the lockdown.

But its message soon became lost as an urgent civic response was required to the coronavirus crisis.

Now it has relaunched its four-year plan to safeguard people and punish perpetrators of bad behaviour as it prepares for Gravesend's post-Covid-19 recovery.

In a recent survey of more than 400 Gravesham residents, an overwhelming majority (40%) said ASB was their main concern.

They placed this issue above all others, including property crime (23%), town centre safety (20%) and even violence (9%).

Cabinet member for community and leisure Cll Shane Mochrie-Cox (Lab) said the council had listened to residents and put in place an effective strategy to deal with all forms of ASB.

He said: "Tackling ASB to achieve sustainable change is neither a five-minute job nor one that can be accompanied without taking a thorough and robust approach."

In 2018, there were 2,271 incidents of ASB recorded by the police in Gravesham, a reduction of 22.3% compared to the previous year.

Despite this decrease, Gravesham's rate of incidents per 1,000 of the population remained the second highest in Kent at 21.4 incidents compared to a county wide average of 17.6.

There was also a 15.8% increase in deliberate fires recorded by Kent Fire and Rescue Service in the same period as opposed to a county-wide decline of just under 10%.

Of these, a third of all blazes started on purpose took place in the Riverside Ward (62) – nearly three times as many as the next affected area of Northfleet North (21).

Cllr Mochrie-Cox said the council did not believe investing in one form of intervention alone would help solve the issues it faces.

As such, it has structured its approach to ASB around four pillars: enforcement, supportive intervention, early identification and prevention/community involvement.

The document draws a distinction between criminal acts such as drug taking and dealing and those which fall under ASB such as street drinking, littering, fly-tipping and excessive noise disturbances.

It also covers a range of areas not typically categorised as such, including trading without a licence and domestic abuse.

This was important to explain, said Cllr Mochrie-Cox – who also works as a youth worker – because all too often ASB is banded together with young people.

However, he added that was not to say the behaviour has not affected young people and he pointed out a massive part of the strategy was ensuring children and young people have access to facilities and activities.

"Ten years of austerity has taken its toll on youth provision," he said.

"Anti-social behaviour is not a new thing. We want to be able to channel that energy, and leisure centres are a part of that."

Despite concerns over the financial fallout of the crisis, he said the council would be forging ahead with its plans to transform and build new leisure facilities in the borough.

He also praised services he was involved in, such as The Grand, which supports communities and residents of all ages with their health and wellbeing, and has been putting on digital clubs to keep young people entertained throughout the pandemic.

The council will also be working with the police and other partner agencies to increase a uniformed presence in problem areas.

"Prevention is better than cure," he said.

"Young people are not the future – they are here now and we must listen to them and make them feel part of it."

"Young people are not the future – they are here now and we must listen to them and make them feel part of it."

Cllr Mochrie-Cox said the council would need to listen to young voices to ensure what they are building fits in with their vision for the borough too.

Another problem area identified was the issue of fly-tipping following reports of an increase in incidents during the lockdown period.

The council can issue fines of up to £50,000 to offenders or seek prosecution leading to 12 months' prison.

It is not a new problem for the borough which recorded 2,122 such incidents during the 2017-18 financial year, behind only Dartford, Swale and Medway which was the worst offender with 3,525.

When it came to this problem, he said the council would not be afraid to issue fines but could not rely on this approach in isolation.

He said it would also need to work in partnership with Kent County Council which has responsibility for highways and waste matters.

In February the authority launched a campaign to draw attention to the damage caused by unlicensed waste carriers.

It forms part of the wider Keep Kent Clean pledge and aims to educate residents to think carefully about who they elect to pick up their waste, warning if fly-tipping is traced back to them they too could face a fine of up to £400.

The Coldharbour councillor believes long-term change is more likely to be achieved through "societal pressures" as opposed to enforcement alone.

Cllr Mochrie-Cox pointed out it was important the council was not only seen taking enforcement action but also investigating and understanding the motives behind the behaviour.

He added the council would always seek to educate and prevent such incidents but expressed a word of warning to those tempted to break the law, adding it would use "all its legal powers to take action against perpetrators" where necessary.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend