Wrexham Sees 16% Increase In Fixed Penalty Fines In July

Over £46,000 in fines were issued to smokers, litterers and dog owners across the county borough last month – an increase on the number issued in the previous month. 

Monthly figures released by Wrexham Council show that a total of 619 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued by Kingdom Security officers across the county borough throughout July.  This was an increase of 61 additional FPNs compared to June.

The £75 fines were issued to those found dropping cigarette butts, littering and not picking up after their pets. The fines come as part of Wrexham Council’s ongoing partnership with Kingdom Security, who were brought in by the local authority earlier this year to help tackle the above issues.

In total £46,425 in FPNs were issued – an increase on the £39,975 issued throughout June.

The vast majority of July’s FPNs were again issued for ‘improperly disposed cigarettes’, with 568 smokers issued with £75 fines. This is up on the 490 FPNs issued in June.

A further 18 fines were issued for dropping food, 28 for litter, two for breaking dog exclusion orders and three for people failing to pick up after their dogs.

Details of how many fines were issued per ward can be found below:

Ashley Houston-Birch, Team Leader in Wrexham with Kingdom Security, said: “We have increased our patrols around Country Parks and identified dog-fouling hotspots, but have admittedly struggled to issue many fixed penalty notices for dog fouling this last month.

“In a bid to tackle dog fouling, we have carried out more patrols outside of usual working hours, with patrols starting at 6am and some enforcement officers patrolling until 9pm.

“We will also continue to increase patrols and follow-up reports to combat the problem.”

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, added: “I’m glad to see that patrols are being carried out earlier in the morning and later in the evening in a bid to catch dog walkers who fail to pick up after their pets – we want to continue to press on this with this, and if numbers do drop, I’m keen for that to be as a result of enforcement and people getting the message.

“We can’t let people drop litter or cigarettes, nor allow their dogs to foul without cleaning up after them – it’s not fair on the huge majority of residents and dog owners who are responsible and want to see their towns and villages kept clean.