Ards Borough Council has agreed to employ two additional wardens in a bid to tackle littering and dog fouling across the Ards area.
The officers will target dog fouling and litter hot spots, working on a shift basis from March to October, covering key times and days, including early morning, evenings and weekends.
“The decision was based on the Council’s desire to make a greater impact on the littering issue”, said Councillor Robert Adair, Chair of the Council Services Committee, “The Council shares public concerns at littering, especially dog mess left by an irresponsible minority of dog owners, and hopes to increase public confidence and reduce the problem further by employing two additional wardens”.
Director of Environmental Services for Ards Borough Council, Richard Brittain, explained:xa0“Detecting a littering or a dog fouling offence is particularly difficult as officers have to be in the right place at the right time to see the offence. xa0The employment of two additional wardens allows the Council to dedicate more time to tackling the littering issue, and taking enforcement action against those who continue to behave irresponsibly.”
“The Council will continue to use its existing measures such as dog poop bins, litter and dog fouling signs, school education programme, and its street cleaning service, to tackle the issue also.”
The penalty for littering is £75 or for allowing your dog to foul in a public place is £80 with a maximum fine in the courts of £1000.
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