In past surveys, local people have highlighted littering and fly-tipping as one of their main concerns and the Council has taken this very seriously.

Officers within the Council work tirelessly to ensure that the local environment and the health of the residents are protected and that offenders are dealt with accordingly. With regular enforcement action taken, the Council achieve many prosecutions for littering.

Residents Susan Fearne, Wendy Brett and Josephine Allsop were all recently fined for littering through dropping cigarette ends. Their cases appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court on 4th May 2011. None of the three attended court and so the magistrate ruled against each in their absence and imposed a fine of £525 plus costs which amounted to a total of £830.50 each. Cases such as these highlight that the Council will not tolerate littering of any type.

Edd deCoverly, Head of Neighbourhood Services at Ashfield District Council commented “These prosecutions enforce the point that the Council will not tolerate crimes against the environment, particularly where the health and well being of the general public can potentially be adversely affected”.