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Environmental Offences: Guidance

Gloucester City Council has a new enforcement and regulation service to help tackle environmental crime.

Environmental enforcement officers patrol the city daily to cut down environmental crime and increase environmental awareness. Anyone caught littering  will be issued a minimum £75 fixed penalty notice charge on the spot. Failure to pay the fixed penalty notice charge will mean the case is transferred to a court prosecution process.

People caught dropping litter, fly tipping and allowing their dogs to foul in public spaces will face on-the-spot fines between £75 and £1000. The fine amount is dependant upon the type of offence. These fines are known as Fixed Penalty Notices. 

 

Environmental offences for litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling

Environmental crime has a negative impact on our streets and costs tax payers and the council thousands of pounds each year.

You can be fined between £75 and £1000 for:

  • littering
  • fly-tipping
  • flyposting (such as putting posters on lamp posts or building walls)
  • dog fouling
  • not presenting waste properly
  • disposing of domestic commercial waste illegally

Environmental offences are criminal in nature and not civil offences.

Enforcement officers will be authorised to issue you with an on-the-spot fixed penalty notice. 

 

Giving your details to enforcement officers

You must give your full name and address to the Enforcement Officer if you’re caught committing an environmental offence. Officers will verify an individual’s identity by using electronic ID verification systems.

It's a criminal offence if you do not provide this information (Section 88(8a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990). The maximum penalty for not providing this information is £1,000 and a criminal conviction. 

Legal powers

Fines will be issued under the Environment Protection Act 1990, the Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005 and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Officers are legally entitled to enter commercial properties to deal with offences under these criminal acts.