North West Liveability Foundation Case Studies

South Ribble Enviro-Crime crackdown gathers momentum

Residents in South Ribble are showing signs of taking pride in their local area as the number of instances of littering and dog fouling have decreased.

It follows a concerted drive to crackdown on environmental offenders. Park Rangers, Canine Welfare Officers and Litter Wardens have stepped up efforts to deal with litter louts and irresponsible dog owners by issuing on-the-spot fines.

And enforcement officers are now patrolling the street on bikes to ensure more enviro-crime offenders are caught. This enables them to access hard to reach places that can often be hot-spots for fly-tipping and youths congregating and leaving large amounts of drinks litter.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Margaret Smith, said: “Residents have told us that one of their top three priorities is to live in a clean neighbourhood and we’re determined to ensure that we do everything we can to keep South Ribble looking great.”

South Ribble Borough Council has combined its increased enforcement with a campaign to encourage residents to take pride in their neighbourhood. My Place aims to get the public to take ownership of public spaces in their area and recognise that they are there for everyone to enjoy, so there is a collective responsibility to look after them.

Already the council has been reaping the benefits as the number of instances of people being fined for enviro-crimes has decreased. And a street survey by the GMB union last year found that South Ribble was the cleanest in Lancashire.

Coun Smith added: “It’s great news that there are fewer people in South Ribble inclined to drop litter or allow their dogs to foul. It shows people are truly taking pride in their local area, community and environment.”

All in a days work

Stockport’s Area Conditions Officers are experts at juggling a wide range of tasks in order to make improvements to the local environment.

As one of the team, Peter is responsible for ensuring that local streets, parks and public spaces in the Tame Valley Area, Reddish, are clean and green for all residents to enjoy.

His role involves carrying out investigations into fly-tipping, dealing with abandoned vehicles, issuing on-the-spot fines for littering and taking part in area committees and public meetings on local environmental issues.

The aim of an Area Conditions Officer’s work is to improve Local Environmental Quality by enforcing against those responsible and ensuring that the operational services work effectively to maintain cleanliness.

Peter said: “Major changes are taking place within the borough, with people and businesses now being held accountable for dirtying the streets.

“This in the long term can only have beneficial effects for the residents of Stockport, helping to build safer, stronger, greener communities.”

Projects Peter has recently been working on include:

• Clearing and making safe a derelict and disused allotment which had become a hot-spot for fly-tippers

The area used to be an attractive spot, but became a dumping ground for local fly-tippers and soon turned into an eyesore for residents living nearby. A major complication was the amount of hazardous waste that had been dumped on the site including asbestos and diesel. Land searches were carried out to identify the owners and a Section 80 was served upon them. This gives landowners just 24 hours to remove all hazardous chemicals and materials on site. A Section 59 of the EPA was also served and this requires landowners to remove any building waste within 21 days. Peter is now involved with investigations into fly-tipping on the land and is hoping to pursue legal action against any offenders.

• Securing a derelict public house which had become a hang out for youths and the target for vandals and so-called graffiti artists

The property was awaiting planning permission to be converted or demolished but became the target of youths, scrawling graffiti on the walls and smashing windows with bricks. This became a nuisance to local residents, but the owner did not want to spend any money on the building. Peter was forced to serve a Section 92A of the Environmental Protection Act, which required the owner to secure the building or face a fixed penalty notice. The owner boarded up the building and put up a perimeter fence, which ensured peace was restored to the area.

• Tackling businesses who dispose of their waste incorrectly

Businesses disposing of their waste incorrectly had become a major problem throughout the city. Many had been caught dumping their rubbish out with general household weekly collections but little enforcement action had been taken. Peter ensured that offenders were brought to task, serving Section 34s on businesses caught or suspected of disposing their waste incorrectly. Waste contracts and tip notes are now being checked and failure to comply can lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued. The council is looking at producing some leaflets to highlight the problem of disposing waste incorrectly and providing guidance on the right ways to do it.

Alcohol litter campaign goes down well

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has recently held an eight week campaign in partnership with Stockport Homes against alcohol and drinks-related litter in an area called Poets Corner.
This particular campaign topic was chosen due to the results from the local environmental quality survey (LEQS) and the results of market research carried out with local residents.

During the market research, residents were asked to indicate how much of a problem they consider each of the local environmental quality issues to be on a scale of one to ten. Litter was the issue of most importance to the residents on the estate, with around three quarters rating it as their top issue.

From the LEQS report, litter was assessed as poor with a score of -7 (with -8 being the lowest score and plus 8 being the highest score). The survey looked at the composition of litter discarded in the area. Non alcoholic drinks-related litter was found on 92% of transects surveyed and alcoholic drinks related litter was found on 62%.

The objectives of the campaign were:

• Use promotional material to encourage residents not to drop litter
• Raise awareness in the area about the use of Fixed Penalty Notices
• Remind residents that the area is part of the borough-wide street drinking ban
• Carry out test purchasing exercises with local off licences
• Confiscate alcohol from persons drinking on the street
• Organise a community clean-up

The first element of the campaign was around raising awareness in the local area. A variety of promotional material was displayed in local shops, housing offices, community centre, primary and secondary school. An article around the campaign was placed in Stockport Homes magazine "Stockport at Home" as well as a feature in the local newspaper.

Fifteen "No Street Drinking" signs were placed on lamp posts throughout the estate, reminding residents of the street drinking ban that is in place across the borough. Throughout the campaign the police confiscated over 400 hundred unopened bottles and cans of alcohol from people found drinking on the streets. Two fixed penalty notices were issued to adults for purchasing alcohol on behalf of under-18s and six Fixed Penalty Notices were given to people over sixteen years old for drinking in the street.

Stockport Trading Standards Department carried out a test purchasing exercise which targeted off licences in and around the area. Previously advisory letters and point of sale material were distributed to all licensed premises. In partnership with the police, Trading Standards also participated in a 10 week national campaign, targeting problematic licensed premises, with enforcement action taken under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. As part of this campaign three premises in North Reddish were targeted.

On Saturday 26th May a community clean-up was organised on the Poets Corner estate. Posters advertising the event had been displayed around the area in the local shops, doctors and the primary school along with information to Stockport Homes via newsletters. The Poets Corner Community Group and Friends of the Park Group were also informed about the community clean-up. The District Centre Rangers attended as did staff from Environmental Services. Disappointingly no residents attended the clean up initially although the ‘robocycle’ costume attracted a number of children on the estate and eventually 15 young people litter picked with the team.

The team collected 15 bags of litter and filled recycling containers with glass, plastic and cans.

The final element of the campaign was around education. Environmental Services have planned educational work, including litter assemblies, which will be rolled out to all secondary schools from September. Unfortunately work couldn't take place within the local secondary school due to timing, and the upcoming GCSE work that pupils were undertaking.

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council’s Gum Litter Campaign

At the beginning of 2006, Wigan Council decided to tackle one of the biggest litter blights in the borough – chewing gum. After successfully applying for funding to the Chewing Gum Action Group (a partnership between Defra, ENCAMS, industry and others), Wigan started a borough-wide gum litter campaign throughout August and September 2006.

Posters featuring the strapline ‘Thanks for binning your gum when you’re done’ were displayed at sites across the Wigan borough. One of the best parts of the campaign was Ben Bradshaw, Local Environmental Quality Minister launching it in the town centre where ‘wrap it’ papers were given out to the public who were encouraged to wrap their used gum and bin it. Businesses were also approached and asked to issue the wrap it papers. Activities were held throughout the event to attract attention and ended up attracting the local radio station, two newspapers and regional BBC TV resulting in some excellent media coverage.

Keith Benson, Street Scene Manager for Wigan said “The launch event was replicated in Leigh, another town in the borough where gum litter is a problem. Two launches ensured many more people were aware of the campaign and were encouraged to bin their gum. I definitely recommend this tactic to other authorities.”

The town centre areas were surveyed prior to the campaign launch and again after the drive ended. The results showed a huge 56% reduction in chewing gum litter. Additional surveys one month later showed a continuous reduction of 23% and a study by ENCAMS on behalf of the council revealed that chewing gum litter is still the biggest environmental issue for visitors and residents.

Wigan realises the importance of maintaining these results and creating a sustainable campaign. That’s why they will re-run the campaign throughout May 2007 but with one difference.

Explained Keith “We found it hard to monitor how many wrap it papers has actually been issued by local businesses as we had no proof that they were being given or if they were being used. That’s why this latest campaign will see only civic buildings such as libraries and Town Halls issuing the papers. That way we can fully monitor who is taking them and then follow up to see if they were actually used.”

The campaign involved great partnership working including:

• Town centre managers
• The Mayor
• Local schools
• Ward Councillors
• Local businesses
• Residents and visitors

Since the campaign, Wigan Council has purchased a power washer, that currently operates in Wigan and Leigh town centres five days a week and concentrates on chewing gum hot spot areas.

For further information about Wigan’s gum litter campaign, please contact Nick Burdekin by e-mailing n.burdekin@wiganmbc.gov.uk

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

tidyoldham.co.uk – part of Oldham’s Clean, Safe and Green campaign
Oldham Council has set up a website which encourages residents to report instances of fly-tipping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and general grot spots.

Residents are able to send photographs taken on their mobile phones of unsightly areas around Oldham to the council via the website.

The photograph and details are logged and a team from the council cleansing service is assigned the job. Once the work has been finished a photograph is taken of the cleansed area which is posted on the website. This allows members of the public to see that their reports are being responded to.

Mark Odell, Assistant Director of Environmental Services at Oldham Council, said: “We wanted to engage residents and particularly young people in improving the local environment and using new technology is a great way to do that.

“The website is just one of the projects under our Clean, Safe and Green campaign.”

Many people complain about the state of the streets but aren’t prepared to do something about it, but now the people of Oldham have been given a tool to help make a real difference to the local environment.

tidyoldham.co.uk was launched at the end of February. To publicise the new high-tech facility it was featured on the front page of the council’s own website for three weeks.

And the response has been encouraging, with a record number of fact sheets about the initiative downloaded from the council website since tidyoldham’s launch.

To ensure the new scheme has a big impact, Oldham Council has given members of its street scene team mobile phones with Global Positioning Systems (GPS). This enables them while out and about on the streets of Oldham to record and report instantaneously instances of enviro-crimes and their whereabouts.

Vale Royal Borough Council’s Wharton Project

Wharton is an area of social deprivation and suffered from high levels of anti-social behaviour. Last year, young people in the area informed the local voluntary group that they were bored and there was nothing to do.

Young people were further consulted with and as a result, the Wharton Project was established in September 2006 to provide young people with something positive to do, reduce anti-social behaviour and environmental crime and increase community cohesion. Young people can now take part in activities such as sport sessions, DJ coaching and street dancing.

Initially a couple of residents were concerned about noise, however overall, the community feels the project is extremely positive and have expressed how good it is to see activities available for younger members of the community.

Aside from vandalism in the early stages of the project and initial difficulties in gaining support from statutory agencies, the Wharton Project has been very successful and has seen a reduction in the increasing trend of anti-social behaviour in all Wharton Wards in comparison to 2005/6. There has also been a decrease in random fires. In September to November 2005 there were 31 fires compared to just six between September and December 2006 when the project started. An average of 29 young people take part in activities on Friday and Saturday evenings. A Voluntary Community Service - Service Level Agreement has been developed to focus provision for young people around the Wharton area. As a further incentive for young people to want to visit the community centre it has been re-decorated and may even be redeveloped as part of a capital bid.

When asked what the best thing about this project was, Sue Fernandes, Streetscene Strategy Manager for Vale Royal commented “It’s been brilliant to engage with young people who wouldn’t normally take part in community activities and working with a group of teenagers to further develop the project has been a highlight. It’s important to listen to what they want.”

Vale Royal Borough Council also believes it’s the good relations with partners that have helped the project be so successful. The partners are Winsford Youth Forum, Vale Royal Community Safety Partnership, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Weaver vale Housing Trust, Cheshire Constabulary and Cheshire County Council.

If they were to start a project like this again, Vale Royal would secure finances at the start of the project to ensure it is sustainable. The project grew much larger than anticipated which made it difficult to make sure appropriate funding was in place and so a large amount of time was spent trying to attract investment.

For further information about the Wharton Project, please contact streetscene@valeroyal.gov.uk