Environmental crime figures for York revealed

A report to be discussed next week reveals how many people have been prosecuted in York for various environmental crimes.

46 people were prosecuted for urinating in public with fines and costs averaging over £400.

At the other end of the scale, only 3 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for dog fouling offences.

Three people were fined for littering and 20 for fly tipping

14 warnings for fly posting were given together with 12 Fixed Penalty Notices.

There were no notices issued under the “Public Space Protection Orders”. These are the orders that seek to prevent anti social behaviour in specific neighbourhoods.

Issues reported today in west York

The end of the holidays brings with it a need to deal with some issues. Today we have reported issues with

dog fouling,
dumping next to the recycling banks on Acomb Wood Drive,
leaf fall in the Greenwood Grove area
litter in the Chesney Field area &
more litter on the Tithe Close snicket

Hopefully they will be addressed quickly now.

Dog fouling still a problem

There is still too much dog fouling going on in parts of York. Owners who do not clean up after their pets can face an on the spot fine of £75. This could be increased to £1000 if the case goes to a magistrates court.

You can report a fouled footpath by clicking here

If you spot a full poop scoop bin it can be reported via this link

The Council says, “If a dog bin is full or overflowing, we’ll empty it within 2 hours. If we get your report after 3.00pm, then the dog bin will be emptied before 10.00am the following working day.

If a bin is damaged or missing we’ll repair or replace it as soon as possible”.

Street cleansing problems highlighted at meeting

Litter problems on areas like the Foxwood shops were discussed at a residents meeting yesterday. The residents were told that the street cleansing service was having difficulty in recruiting staff. Local Councillor Simon Daubeney reported that a new litter bin would be provided opposite the shops at the end of Hatfield Walk.

We’ve asked for new springs to be provided on the gates to the football pitch area on Foxwood Park. The old ones are broken allowing the gates to swing open. In turn this allows unsupervised access for dogs. Dog fouling on nearby footpaths is a continuing issue.

It’s reached the time of year when tree detritus and ripe fruit can fall in significant quantities onto some foot and cycle paths. This is potentially hazardous. We’ve reported problems on the Bellhouse Way path between Acomb Wood Drive and the Foxwood Park.

The path is also obstructed by overhanging tree branches

Fixed penalty notices issued in York

Fly posting, fly tipping, littering and dog fouling

As they promised, the York council has now updated its “open data” web site to include details of the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued.

An FOI request was prompted by a large number of fly posting incidents in west York advertising the arrival of a Fair.

The published stats only go up to June at present but they reveal a downward trend on FPNs issued for fly posting.

In total 36 were issued during the first 6 months of the year.

Fly tipping is also a continuing problem in some areas. Here the figures reveal that no FPNs were issued during the first part of this year.

It was similar picture for dog fouling with no FPNs issued between January and June.

Only 1 FPN was issued for littering.

Statistical information has also been published for

Only 5 fined for dog fouling offences in York

Notices put up to deter dog fouling

Only five people were fined during the last year for allowing their dog to foul public places in the City.

The figures are revealed in a new report which lists the enforcement action taken during 2017/18 by the York

Council on a wide range of offences

Recent surveys have revealed that dog fouling remains a major concern for residents living in some neighbourhoods.

More fines were actually issued in the City centre to men found urinating in public than were handed out for dog fouling

The report does however highlight several success for enforcement teams.

64 years imprisonment (5 years suspended)
£21k in fines
1060 hours of unpaid work
£311k in compensation for victims
£3.3m in proceeds of crime confiscation orders
£98k in costs awards

The bulk of these relate to fraud and “Ecrime” activities.

In addition various actions were taken on housing issues while 10 neighbourhood enforcement officers dealt with reports of anti social behaviour, fly-posting, littering and similar offences.

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.

Forgot your dog poo bag? Foxwood RA tries to help

Dog walkers arriving at the Foxwood park will get a reminder from the Residents Association that they must clean up using a poo bag.

In an innovative move, spare poo bags are being provided at the entrance to the park with a request that dog owners replace any they use when they next visit.