February 15, 2018 4.00 pm This story is over 73 months old

Private firm dishes out 500 fines for littering and dog fouling in Boston in eight months

The council is looking to extend the service.

A private security company has issued over 500 fixed penalty notices for environmental crime offences in Boston in just eight months.

Boston Borough Council hired 3GS UK to help carry out its enforcement of crimes such as littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling in the town.

From April to December 2017, 3GS UK issued 514 fixed penalty notices.

The council only handed out seven notices for the whole of the 2016-17 financial year by contrast.

A report produced on behalf of environment portfolio holder Councillor Michael Brookes said that the service had “significantly enhanced” the council’s ability to enforce environmental crime.

Councillors on Boston Borough Council’s Cabinet have been given a recommendation to extend the 3GS UK service for another 12 months, up to April 18, 2019.

Extending the service would also see signage and CCTV cameras at high-profile fly-tipping hotspots to catch offenders in the act.

Councillors will also decide at a meeting on Wednesday, February 21 whether to introduce a three-staged approach in enforcing householders who contaminate recycling.

Households would be warned twice before being given a fixed penalty notice.

Katharine Nundy, head of service at the council, said: “An extension to the service level agreement for a further term of 12 months will enable officers to enhance the already good performance of 3GS to further improve payment rates, enable an effectively nil cost prosecution service to those who fail to pay FPNs and provide much wider opportunities for the council to gain enhanced enforcement capabilities.”