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Meet our new Environmental Enforcement Officer, Dave Foy
Cramlington Town Council takes pride in ensuring an attractive local community and as part of our strategy to tackle environmental issues such as dog-fouling, littering and fly tipping we are delighted to welcome Environmental Enforcement Officer Dave Foy to our team.
Dave is employed by Northumberland County Council and seconded to Cramlington for three days a week and he will also work in Ponteland for two days each week.
Dave, a former police officer, aims to educate, increase social awareness and responsibility as well as provide a deterrent and where necessary issue penalty notices and prosecute offenders.
We will be running a series of articles focusing on Dave’s work and in this first interview he outlines his aims within his new role.
“I am here to serve the local community and am looking forward to meeting and working with Cramlington’s residents and hopefully together we can reduce the occurrences of the issues that can detrimentally affect the quality of life for people in the town.”
“Dog fouling is one of the most commonly reported issues.
I will be patrolling, primarily to engage and meet with dog walkers (Dave himself is a dog owner – cockapoo Archie is a treasured member of his family) and I will also promote the County Council’s Green Dog Walking Scheme.
I will be targeting sites frequented by children. Dog fouling is so unnecessary these days when poo bags are widely available as are bins to put the bags in.
It is a miserable task for families to deal with the consequences of it and people need to remember that dog fouling carries a health risk. Because of this enforcement WILL be taken – either a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice ( FPN) or further prosecution for repeat offenders. Make no mistake – if I witness an offence, action will be taken.”
The issue of littering is also a concern.
The good work carried out by the many groups who have organised litter-picks in Cramlington can be undermined by a few thoughtless individuals.
Dave says “I want the residents of Cramlington to have a town they are proud of.
There are instances of littering across the whole town but particularly in the town centre and around play areas.
People should be aware that the offence of dropping or throwing litter includes cigarette butts and chewing gum as well as items thrown out of a car. If I witness an instance of littering, I can issue an £80 FPN.”
In 2018 there were 3390 reported flytips in northumberland.
Each of these had to be investigated – a forensic style approach is used on the evidence to track down offenders. Removal of the waste is then undertaken at the expense of the local taxpayer.
In Cramlington, Dave has already noticed there are particular areas of concern in some of the outlying areas and lanes.
He said “I would ask the public to report all instances of fly-tipping that they are aware of. If possible take note of vehicle type and registration but at no time put yourself in any danger.
A FPN is £400 but further action can be taken through the courts.”
Dave’s remit also includes graffiti, where he will ensure it is dealt with efficiently so as not to have a long lasting impact on the community, and that it is investigated.
He also has a wider power to address anti-social behaviour by issuing community protection warnings and notices regarding issues that have a negative impact on the local environment and residents.
Dave said “I relish the challenge ahead. My objective is to improve our town and our environment. Let’s work together to make Cramlington the best it can be”.
Use the link below to report issues: https://www.
