MORE than 600 people were fined for littering by the North East Area Council’s enforcement agency in 2017.
Figures obtained by the Chronicle reveal that Kingdom, the firm employed on a rolling contract by the area council, caught 640 litterbugs from January 1 to December 31 - an increase of 170 people on the previous year.
The area’s two officers, who patrol streets in Brierley, Cudworth, Great Houghton, Grimethorpe, Royston and Shafton, are also responsible for dealing with dog fouling and illegal parking.
Statistics show just 29 irresponsible dog owners were caught - 30 fewer than in 2016 - and 184 motorists were caught parking illegally in 2017, which also represents a slight decrease.
The reduction in dog fouling has been attributed to the ‘Bin It To Win It’ campaign, which has seen thousands of bags handed out to encourage people to pick up after their pets, as well as quarterly prizes being given to responsible owners.
Coun Joe Hayward, chairman of the North East Area Council, praised the officers’ work and the fall in offenders in two of its key objectives.
“We are really pleased to see a decrease in dog fouling and parking offences,” Coun Hayward said.
“There has been a rise in littering offences which the team continues to tackle, and our #EverybodyThink campaign encourages residents to work with us to stop fly-tipping and litter spoiling our beautiful borough.”
Kingdom, which started to work in the area in 2014, has generated more than £70,000 in income for the area council through almost 2,000 fines, although the total cost of the contract has so far cost more than £175,000.
“I’m happy with the figures for 2017,” Coun Charlie Wraith told the Chronicle. “We only have two officers so it’s impossible for them to catch everyone, but given the size of the area and the resources we have I think it’s a good result.
“Littering is still an issue, but it’s not as widespread as it was a few years ago. In Cudworth we have pockets where it’s a big problem, including in the park and car parks at Robert Street and Bank Street, but we’re very aware of those and will continue to carry out clean-up days at those locations this year.”
However, Coun Wraith urged officers to step up foot patrols at illegal parking hotspots across the area to stop motorists who continue to park on double yellow lines.
“This is a district-wide problem and it needs addressing. The police no longer have the power to tackle it, so it’s up to the officers we employ to really go for it to stop people from parking where they want.
“It’s a major issue. On Barnsley Road in Cudworth it’s at its most obvious as you can see people doing just about every day. Bus companies are complaining that they can’t get through, people park on double yellows on Robert Street and it’s very frustrating as we have so many free car parks in the village.
“I want to see figures going up, not down, as we still receive numerous complaints about illegal parking. It’s important to appreciate that there are only two officers though, and given just how much of a problem it is across the whole district, they can’t be in two places at once.”
