DOG owners and litter bugs beware – your trash could cost you cash.
A new environmental law means parish councils can now issue on-the-spot fines to offenders – a power formerly limited to the police.
Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, incidents that are dubbed environmental crimes, such as dropping litter, illegal fly posting, grafitti, and walking a dog without a lead, could all land offenders with a hefty fine.
And it can be issued by any official member of the parish council, including parish councillors themselves.
Any officer who has received the appropriate training can issue the £80 fines, and failure to pay could land you in the magistrates’ court, facing a penalty of up to £2,500.
And this could be the beginning of a parish council pooch patrol as the councillors will also be authorised to issue fines to any dog owner who contravenes a new system of "Dog Control Orders", which aims to provide better managements of dogs and their owners who attempt to shirk responsibility. Offences include the failure to remove dog waste, not keeping a dog on a lead and allowing dogs into areas where they are banned.
Macclesfield Borough Council is currently consulting the parish councils on the proposed approach, as well as aiming to tackle education and raise awareness.
But parish councillor for Poynton, Charles Gorst, says that residents don’t need to worry about over-enthusiastic officers handing out penalties to unwitting perpetrators.
He said: "We are at an advantage because we are a quality parish council and we do have our own PCSO to carry out the work, but we don’t want to alienate people in the village.
"To be fair, most people try to stay within the law, but there are extreme cases where people deliberately flaunt it and continually allow dog fouling, so it will be useful to have this power."
Speaking at a recent cabinet meeting, Coun Jane Palmer said: "I feel this is of enormous interest to the parish council, particularly with the large increase in fly tipping and dumping.
"Here is an opportunity for this council to go forward and help themselves and engage local people."
The council may employ a member of the community, a PCSO or even volunteer their own time to carry out the patrols.
But this could come at a high cost, expenditure will include staff costs, training, equipment, uniforms, materials, signage and potential solicitors.
The money from each fine issued by a member of the parish council will go back into the parish councils’ purse to be used on the environmental cleaning programme.
Quality Parish Councils, such as Poynton and Lower Withington, will have more flexibility to use the money for other projects.
