A warning has been issued as a new litter enforcement team is set to increase patrols in an area of Merseyside.
Knowsley Council confirmed they will be appointing a specialist enforcement team in a bid to crack down on litter. Officers from National Enforcement Solutions will work alongside the council’s environmental enforcement team in the hopes of keeping the borough litter free.
Teams will be patrolling streets across the borough every day and can issue fixed penalty notices of £150 to people caught littering. They can also issue fines to those failing to clean up after their dog or other environmental offences.
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Households should also be aware that putting refuse out for collection outside of specified times and not in correct receptacles is also littering. Anything more than a bag of waste is also dealt with as fly tipping where the fine is much higher. Residents can report fly tipping here.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 Knowsley Council has the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to people caught littering.
Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods Cllr Shelley Powell said: "One of the most common complaints we hear from residents is about litter and dog fouling. It is a small minority of people who commit these environmental crimes, but they create a blight in our neighbourhoods, and we all have to pay the extremely high cost of cleaning up afterwards which is unacceptable.
"By stepping up our patrols across the borough, we are taking a zero-tolerance approach to littering and dog fouling to make absolutely clear that these offences will not be tolerated in Knowsley. Our message is simple: if you don’t want to get fined, then don’t drop litter and clean up after your dog."
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People are being urged to dispose of litter in bins or take it home, tie up bin bags carefully and use a bin with a lid, report over-full public litter pins and think about joining a local litter picking group.
Andy McDonald, National Operations Manager for National Enforcement Solutions added: "We are very excited to be working with Knowsley Council and hope that together we can deliver the results the people of Knowsley want, a cleaner and tidier place to live in. Our service will be delivered with the passion and determination required to deliver these results."
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