• Home
• Accessibility
• Contact Us
• Site Map
• Help

A joint enforcement exercise has been launched in Poole, between Consumer Protection Officers and Town Centre Police, already claiming 9 culprits for littering.

As part of the Pride in Poole campaign, Consumer Protection Officers from the Borough of Poole hit the Town Centre, Quay, Bus Station and surrounding areas on Thursday 9 May. A total of 9 offences which may lead to prosecution were witnessed. These ranged from public littering to traders illegally disposing of their business waste.

Cllr Bob Williams, Executive spokesperson for Environment & Prosperity, said: "Litter is a constant source of irritation for both residents, visitors and traders. It can spoil our beautiful town and give a negative image to visitors and potential new businesses. We have significantly increased resources to deal with litter but we need to tackle the root cause of the problem which is deliberate or careless littering and incorrect containment of business waste."

He added: "The public has consistently told the Council that the cleanliness of the Borough is their highest priority. As a result of this, it has responded by ensuring additional investment this year of £200,000 for street cleansing which includes new vehicles and extra staff."

During the year 2000 approximately 2891 tonnes of litter were deposited on Poole’s streets - equivalent to 20kgs of litter discarded by each person in Poole each year. Under the new scheme Consumer Protection Officers will be reporting people for potential prosecution under littering and trade waste disposal laws.

Peter Pawlowski, Head of Consumer Protection Services, said: "We are tackling this issue through a process of education, warning and now positive enforcement exercises which are supported by local people. These are criminal offences with penalties of up to a £2500 fine. Those who throw litter down deliberately can expect to end up in court."

To support this investment the Council launched the Pride in Poole initiative to raise awareness of environmental issues in the community, to educate and where necessary enforce legislation:

A series of high profile education exercises were carried out by Consumer Protection Services throughout the Borough including a Business with Pride Award Scheme to encourage businesses to manage and dispose of their waste in a safe and secure manner. CPS also actively support local communities in enhancement projects and to date 25 areas have benefited from such work. The WASTEBUSTING EDUCATION PACK will soon be launched in local schools and will complete this initial phase.