The council said it has secured combined fines and costs of more than £16,000 against persistent offenders at Leeds magistrates court so far in 2023.
According to the council, the prosecutions are part of its “latest clampdown on irresponsible householders blighting their neighbourhoods with litter, fly tipping and nuisance caused by their bins”.
The council said most recently it secured £7910.40 in fines and costs against eight residents, after its enforcement officers acted under the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place across the Burmantofts area, which gives them increased powers to prosecute persistent offenders. This builds on a further ten successful court prosecutions so far in 2023 across the Headingley area, amounting to a further £9,000 of fines and court costs.
A local PSPO was introduced in February 2022, the council said: “following concerns raised by the community about the large number of bins being permanently left out by some residents, often overflowing and causing obstructions, attracting vermin and encouraging fly tipping”.
The PSPO stipulates that householders must only present their domestic waste bin from 6pm on the night before scheduled collection and be returned inside the property boundary by no later than 9pm on the collection day.
The council reasoned that it “applies common sense and proportionality in enforcing the PSPO and aims to work with householders to rectify issues prior to enforcement”.
Leeds city council added that all households had received multiple warnings prior to the receipt of a fixed penalty notice, which they chose not to pay resulting in their appearance in court.
The authority added that since the introduction of the order, “there has been a significant improvement in the cleanliness and presentation of the streets included and reduced reports of fly tipped waste and of verminous activity”.
We are seeing positive changes on the streets
- Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds city council
‘Positive impact’
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds city council’s executive member for environment and housing, said: “Burmantofts has historically suffered from fly tipping, waste in gardens and domestic waste issues and residents of the area, as in Headingley, have been clear to us that they are fed up with this anti social behaviour that blights their neighbourhood.
“Thankfully due to the proactive work of environmental enforcement officers and the positive impact of the local Public Space Protection Order, we are seeing positive changes on the streets of Burmantofts and Headingley which are now a lot cleaner and there has also been a reduction in fly tipping.”
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