November 27, 2015 10.33 am This story is over 100 months old

Lincoln council employs litter and dog fouling enforcement officer

Crackdown: A new enforcement officer with the task of handing out fines to litterbugs and those who fail to clean up after their dog will be patrolling the streets of Lincoln.
Dan Taylor patrolling the streets of Lincoln city centre

City of Lincoln Council has employed a new enforcement officer with the task of handing out fines to litterbugs and those who fail to clean up after their dog.

Dan Taylor has wasted little time cracking down on the anti-social behaviour, issuing more than a dozen Fixed Penalty Notices in his first week in the job.

He will patrol the city centre and other so-called problem areas with a body-worn camera and work with the CCTV service during a six month trial.

Littering fines will cost £75 or £50 if paid within 10 days, while penalty notices for dog fouling cost £50.

Anyone who fails to pay faces prosecution.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour at the council, said: “Dog fouling and littering are not only unsightly and irresponsible, but are also a potential health hazard and criminal offences.

“These are two topics people often complain about and it was decided we needed to try a new approach to tackle these issues.

“The difficulty has always been getting the evidence necessary to issue a fine. Until now, we’ve been mostly reliant on members of the public giving details or taking photographs.

“Now we have a dedicated officer who can catch people in the act and really focus on driving down the amount of litter and dog mess in our city.

“Alongside this, we will continue to look at preventative measures, such as educating people and providing adequate bins, to help us in our aim of making Lincoln city centre an attractive and welcoming place to live, work and visit.”