New environmental enforcement partnership aims to clean up borough

Enforcement officers have begun to help reduce the amount of waste, litter and dumping across the borough.

Since December 1st, Basildon Council has began working with Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement Services (WISE), who will be working to clean up all areas of the borough.

The decision comes after a successful trial, when over 7,000 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued by enforcement officers for various environmental offences. The majority of these were for dog-fouling, littering and fly-tipping, all of which are deeply unpleasant, anti-social and a blight on our communities.

Individuals identified as suspected of fly-tipping or littering can be issued with an FPN in lieu of prosecution of £120 for littering or £400 for the unauthorised deposit of waste.

The WISE partnership means Basildon Council's team of Street Scene Education and Enforcement Officers now has 5 additional personnel focused on educating and enforcing environmental regulations across the borough.

"The vast majority of people do the right thing with their litter and waste. If you do not, then you run the risk of a substantial fine." ~ Cllr Andrew Baggott, Leader of Basildon Council

Cllr Andrew Baggott, Leader of Basildon Council and Cabinet Member for Enforcement & Public Order, said: "There's never any excuse for dumping rubbish and this new contract will help us hold the people that do to account.

"The vast majority of people do the right thing with their litter and waste. If you do not, then you run the risk of a substantial fine.

"We want our residents to be proud of not just the area they live but the borough as a whole, and our enforcement teams are working across all areas to make that a reality."