Welsh councils rake in fines for littering and dog fouling

There has been an increase in the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering in Wales

Two north Wales councils have raked in almost £300,000 in fines for offences including dog fouling and littering.

Conwy and Denbighshire councils issued fixed penalty notices totalling £176,925 and £106,395 respectively for the period of April 2013 to March 2014.

Welsh government statistics reveal an increase in the number of fines issued by local authorities for environmental crimes across Wales.

The total amount received by all local authorities was £656,129.

Littering continues to be the offence receiving the most amount of fines, followed by smoking related litter and then dog fouling.

The maximum fine offenders can receive is £75.

'Completely unacceptable'

Minister for Natural Resources, Carl Sargeant, called the offences a "blight on the communities across Wales".

He said: "Littering, dog fouling, graffiti, fly posting and noise offences are completely unacceptable.

"Fixed penalties are one way of tackling these problems, and it's very encouraging to see local authorities are now more proactive in issuing them."