NEIGHBOURHOOD WARDENS

 

Dog fouling is one of the major issues dealt with by neighbourhood wardens. We have investigated 9 reports of dog fouling. We have also removed 14 stray dogs and issued 1 stray dog warning letter.

 

Litter is another important issue. We investigated 1 report of littering and issued 1 fixed penalty notice for littering.

 

49 incidents of fly tipping were reported during June. Wecarried out 10 investigations into these incidents in order to try and find any evidence to link the fly tipping to those who dumped it. We carried out 4 duty of care inspections at business premises and issued 1 householder duty of care letter.

 

We have issued 36 first or second advisory letters and 17 Litter Clearing Notices to properties with untidy gardens or yards and have issued 5 fixed penalty notices to residents who have failed to respond to requests to clear their gardens or yards.

 

Antisocial behaviour

 

Wardens dealt with 5 reports of antisocial behaviour reported by members of the public, as well as 19 incidents which were passed via the Police Airwaves system.

 

Since April 2013 the following numbers of Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued in the Newton Aycliffe area: Littering x 5, Dog Fouling x 3, Failure to comply with Litter Clearing Notice x 8

ANTI SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS

There have been 43 reports of ASB received and investigated by the ASB Team across the Newton Aycliffe area during June 2013.

Warning letters 8, Home visits/Meetings 6, Current ABCs 6, Current Court Orders (eg. ASBOs) 3, Cases currently managed on LMAPS 16

A countywide Driving Out Litter will be carried out during August, and will consist of both educational and enforcement activity.

The aims of the campaign are:-

 To raise awareness of the problems that car thrown litter causes;

 To encourage more people to dispose of litter from their vehicles responsibly;

 To reduce the amount of car thrown litter in specific hot spot areas

15 locations have been selected county wide (5 hot spots from each Streetscene area), which will be regularly patrolled/monitored by Neighbourhood Wardens and the Police, to identify any individuals throwing litter from their vehicles. The hot spots have been chosen based on reports of litter recorded on the CRM and intelligence from Neighbourhood Wardens and Clean and Green staff.

The hot spot location for Newton Aycliffe area is McDonalds, Newton Park Services, In addition, participating fast food retailers have been asked to record the registration numbers of individuals seen throwing litter from cars in their car parks, and forward this information on to Neighbourhood Wardens for follow up.

Fly-Tipping – we carry out stop and search exercises, installing our covert CCTV and patrols in hot spot areas. You can really help by providing us with information in confidence by calling 03000 26 1000 and help us stop illegal dumping. In the last four years there has been a 20% reduction in the number of fly-tips which have been removed countywide.

SPECIAL INITIATIVES

Magistrates imposed a fine and costs for three cases where the offenders had failed to pay their £110 fixed penalty fines for failing to adhere to litter clearance notices,

Wardens have passed information to the fraud team regarding an address in Newton Aycliffe.

Wardens assisted with a car accident at Tesco in Newton Aycliffe by telephoning the police and helping with traffic control.

ASB TEAM ACTION

A 16yr-old male from the Newton Aycliffe area has voluntarily signed an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC). This male had been involved in several incidents of antisocial behaviour including shouting and swearing in a public place, for which he was also arrested. The ABC was offered to him following a multi-agency meeting organised by the ASB Team and involving school staff, 4Real (young peoples’ alcohol and drugs service), Police, the Youth Offending Service and other agencies.

The group agreed to offer the young person an ABC and a referral to the Youth Offending Service in an effort to provide him with guidance and boundaries to enable him to change his behaviour, before the situation escalated further and required Court action. A number of other interventions were also agreed for him and his family. Prior to signing the ABC the male had refused to engage with all agencies, so his agreement to sign is a positive step; he has also accepted the referral to the Youth Offending Service, who will work with him around consequences of offending and victim awareness amongst other subjects. His behaviour will be closely monitored by all agencies concerned and further action taken if necessary.

Contact Neighbourhood Wardens on 03000 261000. If you or anyone you know is suffering from ASB, please contact the ASB Team on 03000 260000