'We are picking up the litter and the dog dirt in spades' says Hartlepool Borough Council as latest fly-tipping and fouling figures are released

A report from Hartlepool Borough Council chiefs noted 803 fly-tipping reports were investigated by the local authority’s enforcement team in 2023-24 in comparison to 1,115 in 2022-23.

Officers stressed this only covers incidents which they investigate to seek to find evidence to take enforcement action.

This means problems are far larger – there were 3,040 complaints in total - with issues such as dumped mattresses normally passed straight to the council’s cleansing team for removal.

The report, which went before the latest meeting of the council’s neighbourhood services committee, noted 17 fixed penalty notices were issued for offences over the past year, up from 13 in 2022-23.

Elsewhere data showed there were 149 dog fouling reports to the enforcement team in 2023-24, up from 78 the previous year, with four fixed penalty notices issued, up from two.

Councillor Karen Oliver, committee chair, said the team faces “huge challenges” and neighbourhood services have been “cut massively in the last 12 years”.

She urged people to stop committing such offences, adding: “I can absolutely reassure we are picking up the litter and the dog dirt in spades.

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“I think the fundamental issue here is about trying to get the people out there to stop fly tipping and pick up after their dog and realise that this amount of rubbish day in and day out is costing us a fortune.

“A fortune that could be put back into our infrastructure, put back into our town, put back into our parks.”

Council officers stressed the enforcement team also cover various other areas and have to “deal with challenging and demanding situations” and “the correct calibre of officers” must be employed to deal with this type of work.

They noted in the latest period three staff left the team, including the co-ordinator and supervisor, and, although four new staff members were recruited, they needed training.

Councillors also praised the team for the campaigns, educational and preventative work they carry out to help tackle such issues, along with volunteers such as the Big Town Tidy Up group.

Residents can report fly-tipping at https://online.hartlepool.gov.uk/MyServices/ or by calling (01429) 523333.