£16,000 worth of fines against 'litterbugs and irresponsible dog owners' in North Somerset
The authority have been taking action against people breaching Public Space Prevention Orders
More than £16,000 of fined have been handed to people by North Somerset Council as part of the local authority's 'commitment' to keeping the environment clean and green.
They've taken action against 39 people who were found to be breaching Public Space Protection Orders in the region, with the hearings being carried out at North Somerset Magistrates Court on March 17, April 14 and May 12.
Of the charges:
- 34 were against people dropping a cigarette
- 3 were against people walking a dog off a lead in an area where they must be on leads
- 2 were against people having a dog in an 'exclusion zone'
The fined ranged between £156 to £508, depending on means and whether a guilty plea was entered.
Each person had been given a fixed penalty notice for £75 and sent at least one reminder letter but failed to pay.
Councillor James Clayton, North Somerset Council's Executive Member for Safety in the community, said: “Robust enforcement of the PSPOs is a key part of the action we are taking to clean up our local area for everyone to enjoy and make North Somerset a greener place to be.
"We hope our partnership with Local Authority Support and enforcement of the PSPOs will lead to a reduction of overall offending.
“It’s disappointing to see so many offenders from Weston-super-Mare and I hope that this changes. We’ll continue to heavily publicise our PSPOs, and previous convictions. There really is no excuse."
More information on the PSPOs can be found here.