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Deeside Environmental Task Group

Published: 14/11/2016

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will consider a report on the findings of the Deeside Environmental Group when it next meets on 15 November. The Group was set up to improve the cleanliness of the Deeside Corridor which runs between the North Wales Coast railway line and the B5129. This area has been blighted by high levels of littering and fly tipping for many years and consists of predominantly terraced properties with narrow alleyways linking the local road network. The report details the outcomes of a pilot project to clean up the area which has been running since November 2015 and proposes the introduction of enforcement action against residents who continue to ignore the advice provided and continue to dispose of their waste in an inconsiderate manner. The pilot project was introduced following concerns and local complaints about excessive fly tipping and littering in the area. It started with an extensive clean-up followed by regular daily patrols, resulting in a total of 92 tonnes of litter and other debris being cleared away in the past 12 months. The purpose of this initial phase was to keep the streets clean and promote a local pride in the area and reduce copy-cat littering and fly tipping offences. In addition, all properties in the pilot area were visited to ensure that residents understood their waste collection arrangements and the impact of presenting waste outside of the agreed collection days. Residents not complying with this were reminded of the correct procedure, resulting in a total of over 300 warning letters being sent to local residents. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member of the Environment, Councillor Bernie Attridge, said: “This successful project is now drawing to a close and, whilst there is no doubt it has improved the quality of the environment, the cost of continually clearing up the fly-tipping and littering is unsustainable. We are committed to improving the local environment for all of our residents to enjoy and now need to take more formal action against the small proportion of residents who continue to act in an inconsiderate manner, in order to ensure the area is kept clean and tidy for everyone’s benefit.’’ The report proposes the introduction of enforcement action which would use powers from the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Fixed Penalty Notices would be issued to residents for offences such as littering and putting their waste out on the wrong day. The report also seeks approval to extend the pilot scheme to other areas of the County experiencing similar problems.