Only 8 fines levied for dog fouling in York during last 3 years

The latest figures published on the Councils open data web site say that only 8 fixed penalty tickets have been issued for dog fouling since April 2015.

No penalty notices have been issued at all since June last year.

Similarly, no Community Protection Notices (see right) for dog fouling have been issued since 2015

The York Council receives around 2000 requests for action each year on cleansing issues which includes dog fouling. It no longer publishes the number of complaints it receives about full poop scoop bins but it used to be around 20 a month..

A contract was let in April for the replacement of ageing “poop scoop” bins in the City.

Several campaigns have been run to highlight the risks associated with dog fouling. These included, in some areas like Foxwood, displaying eye catching posters while in others local residents highlighted “poop” on footpaths with spray markers.

Whether the problem has got better, or worse over recent months is difficult to assess.

Issues can be traced back to 2012 when the, then Labour controlled, Council scrapped the “dog warden” service. At the same time, they reduced the number of litter and dog bins in the City.

Litter in York: performance stats overdue

The fine weather is likely to mean increased work for York’s street cleaning teams.

Last August the number of reports about street cleansing issues (which includes dog fouling) hit an all time record high.

The Council hasn’t updated its open data page since then, but anecdotal evidence suggests that – at least in some suburbs – problems  continue at a high level.

Clampdown on rogue waste carriers proves it a ‘Crime not to Care’

The council’s drive to clamp down on fly-tipping continues as a waste carrier has been found guilty by York Magistrates of illegally dumping waste and has been ordered to pay £4,670.

On 10 July 2017, City of York Council received a report of fly tipping on Mill Lane, Askham Richard, York. Officers traced the waste to a York-based charity which provided an invoice showing that it had paid a licensed waste removal carrier, York Waste and Rubbish, owned by Michael Pipes, aged 40 of Sowerby Road, Acomb, York.

Mr Pipes attended an interview under caution, admitting he was paid to remove waste from York Mind but denied fly-tipping it. Although Mr Pipes is licensed to carry waste he was unable to give officers waste transfer information to prove that he took it to a licensed waste site.

Mr Pipes was asked to show diary entries for his jobs requested under Section 108 of the Environmental Act 1995, which again he couldn’t do for this job.

As part of his mitigation, the defendant wrote to the magistrates: “I apologise for any hurt, distress I’ve caused to anyone involved in this situation. This again, was not my intention.”

The magistrate told Mr Pipes: “Depositing waste is an extremely serious offence. It is unpleasant to look at and can be dangerous to the environment. It is not to be taken lightly. The fines involved are high for that reason.”

The fines totalled £3,500 with a surcharge of £170 and a costs award of £1,000, adding up to a total £4,670.

Councillor Andrew Waller, executive member for environment, said: “The vast majority of licensed waste carriers in York act within the law. This continued action by our enforcement officers to clamp down on unlicensed or rogue waste carriers supports our #CrimeNotToCare campaign to reduce fly-tipping.

“We continue to ask residents and businesses to use licensed carriers or, for waste they can’t take to our household waste recycling centres, arrange for the council to collect it via https://www.york.gov.uk/BulkyWaste. We’ll take up to ten items so please join together with neighbours.”

Richard McIlwain, deputy chief executive of the charity Keep Britain Tidy, said: “I applaud the actions of City of York Council and the magistrates in getting this case to court and making sure the fine fits the crime. It’s great to see the council putting our Crime not to Care campaign into action.”

£400,000 cost for new litter/poop-scoop bins in York

A contract for the replacement of litter and poop scoop bins in the City has been awarded to Wybone Ltd

The Council is expecting to replace most of the bins in the City over the next year or so.

The total value of the contract has been estimated as being worth £400,000.

Some new bins have already started to appear on the streets.

Separately, the Council is being asked to repair those salt bins which need attention. Many were used for the first time during recent wintry conditions.

Cattle return to strays – Council offers dog walkers advice

Take the lead and follow the countryside code on Strays

City of York Council is urging dog owners to take the lead and follow the countryside code when cattle are reintroduced onto Strays across York later this month.

The countryside code encourages everyone to respect other people and animals, protect the environment and enjoy the outdoors. This is particularly important when cattle are reintroduced onto the city’s strays for grazing to help manage the land.

Dog owners are being encouraged to be responsible around cattle. This includes keeping dogs on a lead when near cattle as they can spook them, picking up dog waste as this can spread disease and closing gates to ensure cattle don’t escape.

Grazing is a recognised form of managing grassland, including on nature reserves, throughout Britain.  Since 2010 Hob Moor, Bootham Stray, including the Clifton Backies nature reserve, and Walmgate Stray are in  Higher Level Stewardship agreements with Natural England.  The management prescriptions to which we have to comply for the sites include grazing and hay cutting to support the wildlife interest of open grassland, rather than be intensively managed or being left to scrub over.

For information on walking near livestock visit www.ramblers.org.uk/advice/safety/walking-near-livestock.aspx

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Former owner of noisy bar in York gets six month’s conditional discharge for second breach

A city centre bar has been sentenced to six month’s conditional discharge and ordered to pay a total £1,179.43 for breaching a noise abatement notice a second time.

Today’s prosecution (27 March 2018), follows one last year on15 February 2017 when the former owner of Macumba Bar of Coffee Yard, York was ordered to pay a total £1,434 York Magistrates Court following a breach of the noise abatement order.

Following the case last year, the council received further complaints about loud music from the bar in April 2017. A warning letter made the bar’s management aware of the complaints and reminded them that the noise abatement notice originally served on 30 June 2016 was still in force. That notice had been served on Hayati Kucukkoylu (aged 50 of Boltby Road, York), then the licence holder, designated premises supervisor and director of the company. The notice immediately prohibited the playing of music at a level deemed to be a statutory nuisance.

Then on 9 and 10 September 2017, four more complaints about loud music at Macumba were received by the council. Officers on the council’s noise patrol service visited the complainants between 1-1.30am on 10 September. They heard music being played at a level loud enough to keep nearby residents awake and which was in clear breach of the noise abatement notice.

The mitigation put forward by Mr Kucukkoylu was that he is no longer involved in the business.
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