Litter patrols began across the Chichester district on 12 October: £150 on the spot for litter, and a dog mess fine the council quotes two ways.
Litter enforcement officers have been patrolling the Chichester district since Monday 12 October. Anyone seen dropping litter can be handed a £150 fine on the spot. Not clearing up after a dog also brings a fine, though the council’s own pages disagree on how much.
Chichester District Council announced the patrols in a news release on 9 October. They run under a new three-year contract. The release says officers will be out 364 days a year.
Where the officers will patrol
The council says the officers will watch:
- the city
- the towns and villages
- parks
- the seafront
For the first time, the contract also covers fly-tipping. Officers will help investigate dumped waste and gather evidence that could lead to a fixed penalty or a prosecution.
The council spends around £1 million a year clearing litter and fly-tipping, according to the release. It dealt with more than 850 cases last year, and says it will keep prosecuting anyone caught fly-tipping.
The fines
| Offence | Fixed penalty | Paid within 14 days | Maximum if it goes to court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropping litter, including cigarette ends and gum | £150 | £100 | £2,500 |
| Not clearing up after your dog | £100 or £150 (see below) | £75 or £100 | £1,000 |
The litter fine is the same everywhere the council publishes it. The dog fouling fine is not.
- The 9 October release and the council’s Against Dog Fouling page both say £100, reduced to £75 if paid within 14 days.
- The council’s littering and dog fouling fines page still says £150, reduced to £100.
Both pages were live when we checked on 14 October. The amount printed on the notice you are handed is the one that applies. We reported the £150 figure in our story on the new dog rules on 7 October, and have added a note there.
Who is running it
The release does not name the company. The Cabinet report on the district’s dog control rules, approved on 6 October, said enforcement is now partly done by a private contractor at no cost to the council. The council gets back 20% of the fixed penalty income, which by law must be spent on environmental improvements.
Councillor Jonathan Brown, Cabinet Member for Environmental Strategy, said in the release:
“Our new enforcement contract will put dedicated environmental enforcement officers in the district 364 days each year. Crucially, it now also includes investigating fly tipping.”
He said most people do the right thing, and that officers would also talk to the public to change behaviour “where required”.
What it means for you
- Bin it or take it home. That includes a cigarette end, gum, and a tied bag of dog mess left on a fence or a path, which counts as litter.
- New dog rules start on Friday 16 October. Every fenced children’s play area becomes dog-free all year, and dogs stay banned from Priory Park and Bishop’s Palace Gardens. The full list is in our dog control rules story.
- There is no formal appeal against a fixed penalty. You can refuse to pay and let a court decide. The council also runs an informal challenge, which must be made within 14 days of the notice. Its fines page lists the grounds it will consider, such as the notice being served on the wrong person or on someone under 18.
- Report a hotspot or a fly-tip. The council has asked residents to send in places that need patrols, through the same fines page. To get rid of rubbish legally, see our Chichester tip opening times page.
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