Dover District Council cracking down on litter and dog fouling with new partnership

Dover District Council has announced it is stepping up its commitment to crack down on littering and dog fouling, by working in partnership with a private enforcement company.

From next Monday (3 April 2017) it will be teaming up with Kingdom Environmental Protection, who will carry out enforcement in conjunction with the council for a 12 month trial period. This will be in addition to the work of DDC's Environmental Crime Team. If the trial proves successful, DDC will look to continue using a contractor.

Kingdom Environmental Protection will focus on day to day littering and fouling issues, and will provide a minimum of two officers carrying out 96 hours of patrols a week across the district. The officers will have the authority to issue a £75 on the spot fine for those caught deliberately dropping litter or failing to pick after their dogs.

DDC's enforcement officers will continue to patrol the district, but will be able to spend more time on other issues as well as littering. This would include work on fly-tipping investigations, and other dog-related issues such as strays and the enforcement of the Public Spaces Protection Order for our parks and beaches. 

The project means no additional cost to the Council, and any money coming to the Council from Fixed Penalty Notices will continue to be put back into supporting the service. DDC is following in the footsteps of seven other Kent authorities who are currently working with Kingdom Environmental Protection.

Diane Croucher, DDC Head of Regulatory Services said: "Communities continue to tell us that littering and dog fouling are key issues. Our Environmental Crime Team has been delivering positive results, but we are pleased to be able to take this chance to develop the service even further, and the message is that we are clamping down on environmental crime."