Fly-tippers and litter louts brought to court
More than 200 prosecutions were made by Gloucester City Council in 2020 to crack down on environmental crime offences including fly-tipping and littering.
The action was taken against individuals who refused to pay a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) imposed following an offence.
Further prosecutions are continuing this year, with more than 100 cases currently in the process of being filed at court to take action against people who have not paid the fines they were issued.
In July 2019 the city council entered into a contract with specialists 3GS to tackle environmental crime, including littering and fly-tipping.
In the six months that followed, 1,956 FPNs were issued resulting in £128,310 being paid in fines.
Operations continued during 2020 and despite staffing levels being reduced during the periods of lockdown, 779 FPNs were still issued.
As part of the arrangement, 3GS has also been carrying out work to educate and inform residents about the importance of maintaining a clean and green environment.
Following a competitive tender process, 3GS has been awarded a further contract to provide services to the city council from 1 April 2021 for three years, with an option to extend for a further two periods of 12 months.
The city council is also in the process of recruiting two new environmental crime officers to join the city centre management team.
Cllr Richard Cook, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: “Offences such as fly-tipping and littering are a blight on people’s lives and harm the appearance of our communities. This report sends out a clear message that action will be taken against those responsible, including going to court if fines are unpaid.
“Our new contract with 3GS, along with the extra recruitment to the team, shows that we will continue to make tackling these crimes a priority.”
The report will be heard by the city council’s cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday 10 March and can be viewed here.