Fixed penalty notice for environmental crimes
Environmental crimes, including dog fouling and littering, are not tolerated in Wyre. We are working hard to ensure Wyre remains a clean and green borough. As a result, we have entered into a partnership arrangement with leading external environmental enforcement provider WISE (Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement Ltd) to tackle the issue.
All authorised officers will issue an fixed penalty notice (FPN) to anyone they observe, or have evidence to support, has committed an environmental crime that damages the aesthetics of the street scene environment or creates community concern. Accepting and paying a FPN offers an offender the opportunity to discharge their liability to attend court, but should the offender choose not to pay the FPN then court proceedings will be initiated, with the maximum fine for littering currently standing at £2,500 and potential conviction at a Magistrates Court.
You can potentially be issued with FPN for:
- Abandoning a vehicle in the street
- Cause damage through graffiti or fly posting - graffiti is any writing or drawings scratched, scribbled, sprayed or painted illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public space whilst fly posting is the putting up of advertising posters in unauthorised places
- Dropping litter - including chewing gum, fast food, fast food packaging, left over fruit (for example, apple cores and banana skins) and sweet wrappers
- Drop cigarette/cigar waste - smokers are responsible for ensuring that they completely extinguish their cigarettes before placing them in the bin. Smoking related waste is the same as any other waste in terms of litter laws and you can be issued with an FPN for not disposing of butts appropriately. There is also no reason why smokers (who are well aware that their habit means that they will be faced with disposing of their cigarette waste) cannot carry portable ‘butt bins’ with them or create their own by placing some soil or sand in a small tin
- Deposit rubbish or flytip any material on the road, pavement, or any other public open space – always remember that you have a duty to use a licensed waste carrier to dispose of waste not collected by the Council, and the owner/occupier has ultimately responsibility for any waste generated from their property
- Fail to use your waste or trade waste receptacles effectively (including over-filling or if additional side waste is presented by the bin)
- Fail to produce a waste transfer note
- Fail to produce a waste carriers licence
- Place your waste or trade waste in a public litter bin
- Fail to comply with a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for dog control - failing to pick up after the dog or not disposing of the dog waste in the correct manner.
Relaying that you didn’t see the dog fouling or that you forgot your bags is not a valid excuse, and it is also an offence when engaged by an Enforcement Officer you do not have any dog bags on your person to clean-up after the dog.