Environmental Enforcement

Enforcement Policy

We enforce legislation in accordance with Government guidance and our approved Enforcement Policy. If you would like to comment on any aspect of our Enforcement Policy please use the 'Contact Us' option at the top of the page:

 Environmental Development Enforcement Policy (34kB PDF)

Environmental crimes such as fly-tipping, littering and abandoning vehicles lower the quality of life for people living in the areas affected and can lead to an increase in other types of crime.

We can tackle these environmental crimes with fixed penalty notices.

The key to enforcement is education, making sure everyone understands how and why we enforce this aspect of the law.

What is a fixed penalty notice?

A fixed penalty notice imposes a fine. 

An authorised officer can issue a fixed penalty notice instead of prosecuting someone who they believe has committed an offence.

What is an environmental crime?

Litter: £80 fine:  It is an offence to drop litter anywhere, including private land, rivers, ponds and lakes. (And cigarette butts and chewing gum are now defined as litter).

Dog fouling: £80 fine:  It is an offence if a dog fouls in a public place and the owner fails to pick up after the dog.

Commercial litter: £100 fine:  Fast food outlets, stalls and mobile van operators can be served with a Street Litter Control Notice.  If they then fail to keep the area clear of litter they can issued with a fixed penalty notice.

We can require the landowner to clear the litter from their land if it is made unsightly by litter.  We can then issue a fixed penalty notice if they fail to clear the area within the time specified.

Uncontrolled waste: £100 fine:  We can issue a legal notice if domestic waste is presented early, side waste is left by a wheelie bin, or the wrong items are placed in a recycling bin.  We can then issue a fixed penalty notice if the first notice is ignored.

Similar arrangements apply to commercial waste presented incorrectly or at the wrong time.

Duty of Care: £300 fine:  Businesses have a duty care to ensure that their waste is removed by a licensed waste carrier.  If we suspect that a business is not dealing with its waste correctly we can issue a notice requiring the production of waste transfer documents. Failure to produce the documents results in the issue of a fine.

Who can issue a Fixed Penalty Notice?

• Environmental Enforcement Officers
• Dog Warden
• Park Rangers
• Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)
• Community Wardens

Page last reviewed 2 May 2012