The Council’s Community Safety Team was out in force last week in Kirkcudbright, broadcasting the message about complaints of environmental issues that have been received in the town.As part of its duties, the team deals with dog fouling and littering, issues that blight all communities in the area. Dog fouling is by far the biggest complaint received by the team.The team at its display stand on the corner of St Mary & St Cuthbert Street, handed out free dog bags to dog owners and leaflets reminding them of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.  The Act states that it is an offence to fail to clean up immediately and properly dispose of your dog’s waste after your dog has fouled in a public area without reasonable excuse.  Offenders receive a Fixed Penalty Notice of £40, rising to £60 if not paid within 28 days. Conviction for non-payment of the penalty could result in a fine up to £500.  It is also an offence for a person not to provide their name and address to an authorised officer.

Another community issue high on the agenda is littering. The Scottish Government has recently increased the Fixed Penalty Notice from £50 to £80.  The Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes it offence for anyone to throw down, drop or otherwise dispose of litter. Failure to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice within 14 days and conviction in court, can lead to a fine of up to £2,500.

By far the majority of littering offences dealt with by the team by way of a Fixed Penalty Notice are issued to smokers who do not dispose of their cigarette ends appropriately. Many don’t realise it is an offence, but cigarette ends are probably one of the most difficult pieces of litter to remove from our streets by cleansing operatives.

The team handed out free stubbies, a fireproof ashtray, to smokers to encourage the correct disposal of their cigarettes butts.

Senior Community Safety Officer (West), Diane McColm, said; “My team will continue to broadcast the message that dog fouling and littering will not be tolerated in the Stewartry. The team will continue this through numerous educational initiatives and the rigorous enforcement of the environmental legislation that the communities demand.”