Environmental and Civil Enforcement teams across the borough have issued 9,578 fines for parking, littering and breaching Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) throughout 2023.
These include a range of civil and criminal offences including dog fouling, riding a bike in prohibited areas and fishing in green spaces.
A large number of fines were issued for littering in the streets and for dogs being on Cleethorpes beach during the ban, which runs from Good Friday to 30thSeptember.
Over the course of 2023, 133 pet owners violated this PSPO and were issued a fine. Two people were also issued a fine for metal detecting on the beach.
As a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), people are allowed to metal detect on certain parts of the beach, but must obtain prior consent to do so.
Other PSPO breaches included using a jet ski (1), parking on a slipway (2) and cycling in prohibited areas (85). In total, 321 fines were issued for violating a PSPO last year.
Officers also cracked down on littering with over 1,000 fines issued. Broken down into littering from vehicles and littering on the street, the enforcement team gave out 1,026 fines for those dropping litter on the streets and 96 for those doing so from a vehicle.
Also included in the Council’s enforcement is the Smoke Free category. These fines are issued to people who are smoking inside commercial and shared vehicles or in non-smoking areas. In total, 23 fines were handed out for breaching these rules.
The Council are also responsible for enforcing parking across the borough. Throughout 2023, 8112 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to those violating the rules by the Environment and Civil enforcement officers.
Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “These figures show exactly how much hard work goes into our enforcement work across the borough.
“It’s important that people understand the rules across North East Lincolnshire and adhere to them. Our Council plan advocates a zero-tolerance policy and we constantly review how we deliver our enforcement to make sure we can effectively tackle any issues.”
On the aspect of littering, Councillor Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, said: “It might seem like trivial stuff, but it’s not. If we want visitors to come to our area and enjoy it, we need it to look the part. Nobody wants to visit a town centre if there’s litter everywhere.”
He added: “We’ve also had the WiSE team out in our town centres and our high streets patrolling these areas, and stopping people for things like littering.
“It does feel sometimes like a never-ending cycle, but we are making progress.”
Pictured is Regulatory Services Strategic Lead Neil Clark, left, with the WiSE enforcement team and Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, centre.
Article and image from NELC.
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