Council appoints firm for environmental campaign

The Council has entered into a new partnership with a company to tackle environmental crime in the county.

District Enforcement work with a number of other local authorities across the country and have been appointed in Denbighshire to assist the council in dealing with environmental issues, with a key focus on educating the public and raising awareness of the issues around dog fouling and littering.

The company will work predominantly in areas where key issues have been identified and they will be highly visible in communities. Their main task is to engage with communities through education activities. They include visits to schools and community groups, as well as assisting the council with regular awareness campaigns.

There will inevitably be some enforcement action and Fixed Penalty Notices served, but law abiding residents have absolutely nothing to fear.

Emlyn Jones, Head of Planning and Public Protection, said: “Residents in Denbighshire tell us time and time again that issues such as littering and dog fouling is an issue of concern. We have listened to residents and we have made that one of our key priorities and we have been running an awareness campaign over recent years.

“We have seen a marked decrease in the number of complaints coming into the authority generally we have received a positive response from residents, but complaints are still coming in.  The vast majority of people in Denbighshire also dispose of their rubbish in the correct manner and clean up after their dogs and we thank them for behaving responsibly.

“It is only a small number of people who think it’s right to litter our communities. Not only is that anti-social, it also makes an area look unsightly and people say it affects the quality of life. That is why we are serious about tackling the issue, but doing so predominantly from an education perspective.

“We recognise that there is a perception about enforcement teams nationwide, but we would like to reiterate the main focus is about having clean and tidy streets.  The company will be providing regular reports on their work and they will be adhering to strict customer care guidelines, as would be expected of any organisation working with the Council.  

“Those who comply with the law have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Warren Hodson of District Enforcement, said: “Obviously we’ll be going to engage with the public, educate them as well  as educating the public on the impact that dog fouling and littering has on our kids. We’re also looking at doing presentations to primary schools, educating them from a young age so when they grow up there’s a culture there of  knowing what to do.

“Our officers are highly trained in customer service and its very important to District Enforcement how we speak to people and we always calm any situations down.  There’s going to be a lot of focus on dog fouling in this contract we’re looking at doing 16 hours a week on dog fouling in hot spots and public parks”.

Previously a similar arrangement was in place with Kingdom Securities Ltd, but the company took the decision to cease operating in the county in 2018.