South Tyneside council calls for help in battle to clean borough

A crackdown on litter louts has been launched in a bid to keep South Tyneside looking its best.
Councillor Tracey Dixon with South Tyneside Homes delivery officers.Councillor Tracey Dixon with South Tyneside Homes delivery officers.
Councillor Tracey Dixon with South Tyneside Homes delivery officers.

The move follows the launch of a high profile ‘Report It’ initiative last year by South Tyneside Homes to take a proactive approach to environmental issues.

It began by reminding dog owners of their responsibilities – and taking action against those who failed to clear up after their dogs – and has been developed to include littering as well encouraging people to report flytipping and graffiti.

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More than 70 cleansing and estates staff have been trained to deal with environmental matters with the power to issue on-the-spot fines for littering and dog fouling.

Councillor Tracey Dixon, lead member for area management and community safety at South Tyneside Council, said: “We know that these issues are key areas of concern for local communities. They blight our estates, parks and open spaces and give a negative perception of an area. This is something we will not tolerate.

“Dog fouling and fly-tipping in particular, can be particularly harmful to people’s health. There is no excuse for not disposing of waste responsibly.”

Residents are now being encouraged to help the council tackle graffiti and flytipping. Leaflets have been distributed across the borough calling for people’s help – particularly where graffiti has been identified as a problem – and council officers have been working with supermarkets on tackling flytipping, with stores helping to remove dumped shopping trolleys.

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Coun Dixon added: “We know that most people are responsible and help us keep the borough clean and tidy by putting their litter in the bin and disposing of their waste responsibly.

“But there is still a small minority of people who think the law does not apply to them, have no regard for their local environment and leave the mess behind for the authorities to address.

“We would urge people to support us by not only helping to keep our area looking at its best but let us know about any incidents they come across so that we can take appropriate action.”

Residents are being urged to report environmental issues to the council’s customer contact centre on 0191 427 7000.

All calls will be treated in confidence.

For further information, or to report incidents online, visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/reportit