Fines to be issued in dog mess and litter crackdown

It is hoped the initiative will "deter the small percentage of people who deliberately cause a mess"

Local authorities in West Sussex are to team up with a specialist enforcement agency to crackdown on the problems of dog mess, litter and fly-tipping.

From Monday, Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council will join forces with private contractor National Enforcement Solutions (NES) to issue £75 fines to those caught offending.

The collaboration will last 12 months and aims to make "a positive impact on the cleanliness of our streets, parks and coastline".

"We want Adur and Worthing to be the cleanest, greenest coastal communities in the UK," said an Adur & Worthing Councils (A&WC) spokesperson.

They added: "While our staff have the job of cleaning the streets, we don't have a specialist team to focus on preventing these issues happening in the first place.

"We have therefore partnered with NES and it is assembling a team with the powers to issue fines to residents and visitors who commit offences.

"Those who drop litter and don't clean up after their dogs could be fined £75."

The decision was made at an A&WC joint cabinet meeting in July and, according to an accompanying report, the service will be "self-funding, with the cost of delivery derived from the money received from the fixed penalty notices issued".

It added that A&WC will "receive a proportion (15%) of any excess net income from the notices."

NES has already worked with several other local authorities throughout the South East, including Rother District Council.

"Whilst most people take great pride in their local environment, we hope this initiative will deter the small percentage of people who deliberately cause a mess," said an A&WC spokesperson.