Enviro-crime

Not clearing up after your dog or disposing of the faeces in an inappropriate way is against the law. It is a major concern to the public, particularly those that happen to step in it. Fortunately attitudes over recent years have changed and the majority of owners now bag and bin their dogs waste, however there are still those that think the legislation does not apply to them.

As long as it is bagged correctly, you can put dog waste in any public litter bin.

A fixed penalty notice of £75 will be issued to anyone who does not clear up after their dog or disposes of faeces incorrectly.

Fly tipping or dumping is the "illegal deposit of any waste onto land or a highway". If a substantial quantity is dumped or if it contains hazardous materials, then there would be a prosecution, which could lead to a fine of up to £50,000 and the vehicle used to transport the waste being confiscated.

Everyone has a "duty of care" to ensure that anyone taking their waste away, following building/refurbishment work or garden/landscaping etc. disposes of it correctly. If it is later fly tipped and traced back to you, then you could be prosecuted.

Several methods are used to deter fly tipping and catch those doing it, including the installation of cameras.

All incidents of fly tipping are recorded on a national data base called "Fly Capture" which is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Racist and obscene graffiti is treated as a priority and we endeavour to remove it within 24 hours of it being reported. We aim to remove standard major graffiti within two weeks and minor within four weeks.

Apart from racist or obscene graffiti we do not remove graffiti from private property free of charge. Creating graffiti is committing criminal damage. If your property is attacked you should report the act to the police, so that it can be recorded as a crime.

We have a well equipped, highly visible team to remove graffiti. The team are fully trained and wherever possible use environmentally friendly and safe products. Several techniques to remove graffiti can be used including pressure washing and painting out. Additional frontline teams for example neighbourhood wardens and community payback have been trained and can remove graffiti using special wipes. These graffiti wipes are available free to community and resident groups who would like to help us tackle this nuisance.

Areas that are regularly targeted can be treated with a coating which means graffiti can be easily removed by hand, using the wipes.

Before removal tags etc. are photographed and logged into a database; when a graffiti vandal is caught any other incidents of the tag can be used as additional evidence for prosecution.

A fixed penalty notice of £75 may be issued for minor graffiti offences however hundreds of pounds worth of damage can quickly be done by a single "tagger" in one evening. These prolific "taggers" would be prosecuted and could receive a fine of up to £2,500 or be imprisoned.

More people chew gum now, than ever before, in fact it is often encouraged for oral hygiene. Therefore it is important that people dispose of it correctly to avoid those dark spots and stains appearing on pavements and roads across the city. There is also nothing worse than getting gum, unexpectedly stuck to your clothing or footwear, because it was thoughtlessly left under a seat or piece of furniture. Wherever gum gets stuck, it is difficult to remove.

Chewing gum spat out onto the ground, thrown from a car or disposed of inappropriately is littering and you could receive a £75 fixed penalty notice for doing it.

Your rubbish dropped on the ground or disposed of inappropriately is littering. This includes cigarette ends, chewing gum, fast food/drinks containers and snack/confectionary wrappers etc. The act of littering is not only unlawful but it is also dangerous, can be harmful to ourselves and wildlife, attracts vermin and spoils the appearance of the city.

There are over 1,000 litter bins on the streets of the city, please use them. If you know of a location where a litter bin might help in keeping the environment clean, please let us know.

Enforcement Officers can impose on-the-spot fines to anyone caught dropping litter, discarding rubbish from a vehicle and throwing away cigarette ends.

Cigarette butts dropped on the ground, thrown from a car or stubbed out in an inappropriate manner is littering and anyone seen committing these acts could receive a fixed penalty notice of £75, which if ignored would lead to prosecution and a possible fine of up to £2,500. Disposing of cigarette ends irresponsibly is dangerous and can start fires.

The smoking ban, which came into force in July 2007, prohibiting smoking in virtually all public enclosed places and workplaces, has meant more people taking to the streets to smoke. There is no doubt that this has led to an increase in the number of butts being indiscriminately discarded, despite additional smoking bins being installed.

If you become aware of someone committing an enviro-crime by littering, fly posting, fly tipping, not clearing up after their dog or graffiting you can report it by using the Actionline Reporting Form above.

Full details of how to pay are contained on the Notice, which state you can pay by any of the following ways:

• In cash at the Cash Office (Gateway, One Guildhall Square, Southampton).

• By cheque/postal order (please make cheque or postal order payable to “Southampton City Council” and send to ‘Cash Office, Southampton City Council, One Guildhall Square, Southampton, SO14 7FP’).

• By credit/debit card (by telephoning 023 8083 3527).

Please write us a letter, clearly stating what you'd like to appeal and why and address it to:

City Patrol
PO Box 1098
Southampton
SO14 7WE