Thousands being hit with fines by wardens

Wardens have hit more than 2,200 people with fines for offences such as dropping litter, dog fouling and graffiti in a year in Sandwell - dwarfing the the number handed out in neighbouring towns .

West Bromwich has been named as the biggest hotspot for litter fines, where nearly 1,000 people were caught, nearly four times as many as Smethwick.

Fixed penalty notices handed out in Sandwell for environmental offences in the past 12 months would be worth more than £165,000 to the council if they were paid in full.

The figures are far higher than other authorities in the Black Country, with just 336 fines issued in Dudley and 34 in Walsall during the same period.

A report to Sandwell Council environment and sustainability scrutiny panel on the street warden service revealed the borough was ranked second worst in the country for litter.

Latest figures show that in the past 12 months, wardens handed out 2,207 fixed penalty notices for environmental offences, with 1,890 of those for dropping litter in the street.

The most were issued in West Bromwich town centre, where 992 people were hit with fines, compared with 283 in Smethwick and 232 in Oldbury.

Elsewhere, there were 300 fines issued in Dudley for littering in the past 12 months and a further 36 dog fouling offences. In Walsall, just 25 fixed penalty notices were issued for littering and nine for dog fouling.

In Lichfield, 45 fixed penalty tickets were issued for littering and 14 for dog fouling. Between January and September wardens in Wolverhampton issued 156 fixed penalties for dropping litter. Councillor Barry Findlay, Wolverhampton Council's environment chief said: "The figures show we have been firm about this."

Cannock Chase Council issued 60 fixed penalty notices in 2008-2009, with 38 of those were paid in full, generating £1,755.