By Chris Story

Published at 11:23, Monday, 31 December 2012

MORE than 70 fines have been handed out to litter louts and people who fail to clean up after their dogs.

Another three people have been prosecuted in court by Carlisle City Council for breaking environment laws.

The legal action has been taken against those involved since April as a major campaign urging people to clean up their act continues.

Tackling the scourge of littering and dog fouling is one of the major policies of the Labour-controlled authority through its Love Where You Live initiative.

And its leaders say they will continue to take action against those responsible for the likes of spraying graffiti, fly-posting and distribute flyers or leaflets, which are then dumped.

Elsie Martlew, the councillor responsible for the environment, said: “We want residents to care for Carlisle and Love Where they Live.

“We’re working hard to keep Carlisle clean, but we need the support of residents to make sure that it’s kept that way.

“There are plenty of bins available, so there’s no excuse to drop litter. We take this issue very seriously and are taking steps to tackle littering, fly tipping and dog fouling.

“We want to send a strong message that they will not be tolerated.”

The total number of fixed penalty notices issued by the council stands at 72 since April.

Those penalties bring with them an £80 on-the-spot fine. Fines of up to £2,500 can be imposed for littering prosecutions.

As part of efforts to tackle dog fouling, high-priority surveillance zones have been set up in an attempt to catch and deter those responsible for leaving mess behind.

Warning signs highlighting where work is being targeted have already been erected in Botcherby and Currock.

The signs are being backed up by patrols from litter and dog wardens, who have the power to issue the fixed penalty notices.

The faces of people backing the campaign now feature on the side of recycling vehicles and Stagecoach buses.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk