One person take to court in Sandwell as offenders ignore litter fines
Only one person out of nearly 40 litter louts and dog owners who refused to clean up after their pets has been taken to court in Sandwell.
While a third of offenders in the borough don’t bother to pay their fines.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that Sandwell Council enforcement officers handed out 38 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of £100 between January and December 2019.
But of those, only 13 have been paid in full – while 14 offenders have made no payments at all and a further 11 agreed to pay in instalments.
The request said one offender been taken to court and successfully prosecuted for non-payment after being issued a penalty for failing to clean up dog poo.
The revelation comes after Sandwell Council announced earlier this year that none of the on the spot fines issued to beggars in West Bromwich town centre had been paid.
A Sandwell Council spokesman said: “Littering and dog fouling on our streets and open spaces is disgusting. We hate it and we know our residents do too.
“The vast majority of Sandwell people are very responsible – and we would ask everyone to help us keep Sandwell clean and tidy by disposing of litter responsibly and picking up after their dog.
“We have fined people for littering and dog fouling and we have pursued unpaid fines wherever we can, and allowed payments to be paid in instalments for those who could not pay in full at once.”
The council explained that during 2019 its environmental protection and enforcement officers were prioritising the investigation of larger incidents of fly-tipping in response to public concerns, including issuing a number of £400 fines.
It added that other priorities included high visibility patrols and enforcing public space protection orders (PSPOs) to help tackle anti-social behaviour and keep communities safe.
