Over £23k Issued in Fines For Dog Fouling & Littering in Wrexham

Over 300 fines were issued in Wrexham last month to those caught dropping litter and allowing their dogs to foul in country parks and ‘identified hotspots’. 

Figures released by Wrexham Council show that a total of 314 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued by Kingdom Security Enforcement Officers during December 2016 – resulting in £23,500 being issued in fines. It is not known how many of the fines have been paid.

As with previous months those dropping their cigarette litter on the floor remain the most ticketed, with 288 fines issued over the 31 day period. A further nine FPNs were issued for litter, seven for dropping food waste and two for the violation of dog control orders.

Of the 314 tickets issued during December a total of 179 (56%) were issued in the Grosvenor ward alone – which covers Rhosddu and parts of the town centre.

Speaking about the number of FPNs issued during December, Ashley Houston-Birch, Team Leader for Kingdom Security, said: “We have received an increase in customer service requests and officers have been following up a number of requests which have proven to be worthwhile and have helped us to identify new hotspot areas.”

In a bid to tackle dog fouling across Wrexham an increase in patrols have been deployed to Country Parks and identified hotspot areas – resulting in eight FPNs issued for dog fouling last month.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport noted he was ‘disappointed to hear that some owners still fail to pick up after their dogs’, but is ‘pleased to see that hotspot areas’ have now been identified with the help of members of the public.

He continued: “Officers will continue to carry out enforcement on these areas, and the input of members of the public will form a vital part of our enforcement response.

“People are increasingly getting the message that dog fouling and litter dropping is simply not acceptable – but those who pick up after themselves and their dogs have nothing to fear from enforcement action.”

In December 2016 members of the Executive Board approved proposals to procure a private partner with a ‘proven track record in the enforcement of environmental crime’ on the basis of a two year contract with an option to extend to three years.