Pick up or pay up - that’s the tough message to Calderdale’s litter louts.
The council has condemned people who fail to pick up rubbish or clean up after their dogs.
And officials have pledded to hand out penalty fines to people who don’t clean up, with the option of prosecuting those that then fail to pay.
In the past few days. the council has successfully prosecuted two individuals for environmental offences, putting them before Halifax Magistrates.
For Jamie Newburn of Halifax, not cleaning up after his dog cost him £820. He was found guilty of a dog fouling offence he committed in the town and was fined £200 with a £20 victim surcharge, plus costs of £600.
Jamie Lee Wilson of Mixenden threw a cigarette from her car in Halifax, and was found guilty of a litter offence. She was fined £200 with a £20 Victim Surcharge. The council was also awarded full costs of £327. The cigarette end she threw from a vehicle ended up costing her £547.
The council has also revealed that in the past two years, 130 fines have been handed out for dog fouling incidents and 405 penalty fines for littering.
In the same period, 28 people have been prosecuted for failing to pay those fines.
A spokesman said: “Calderdale Council works hard to tackle litter and make the borough a cleaner, safer place. We will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80 to anyone who commits these types of offence.
“Staff across a range of council services have the power to issue fines, including community wardens, park rangers and cemetery staff. If a person chooses to not pay the Fixed Penalty Notice, the case is likely to go to court, where they will decide the level of the fine”.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, Clr Barry Collins, said: “It is a criminal offence to drop litter or not to pick up after your dog. Calderdale Council takes this matter very seriously, and the level of the fines in these two cases shows that the courts do too.”
His colleague Clr Steve Sweeney added: “Keeping Calderdale clean and tidy is a priority for us, and we will not hesitate to take action if people litter. We live in such a picturesque area, it’s important we do all that we can to keep it looking this way.”
Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news.
Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here, the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here
To follow us on Twitter click here
