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No fines have been issued for littering or dog fouling in Solihull in this financial year.

It was revealed this week that the council had not handed out a single fixed penalty notice for either offence since April 2018.

In the same period only one person has been fined for fly-tipping in the borough.

Opposition councillors said that the lack of action was "not good enough", although the local authority has hopes that the arrival of new wardens - who will be tasked with tackling low-level environmental offences - will make a big difference.

Cllr Cheryl Buxton-Sait (Green, Castle Bromwich), who had requested the figures at Tuesday's Full Council meeting, suspected the number of fines would be low but was "shocked" that none had been issued to those dropping litter or failing to clean up after their dog.

"What our litter picking groups do is brilliant and absolutely when I'm out and about I pick up litter but the council needs to contribute as well," she said afterwards.

"These are the main gripes of residents - littering, dog poo, fly-tipping - they are the things they see every day.

"I get lots of emails and calls saying there's too much litter and that this needs clearing up."

In her own ward she said that rubbish was all too common near shops and schools, while there have been problems with larger items being dumped near the Hall Gardens.

She believed that cases of people being fined would make others think twice.

(Image: Solihull Council)

Cllr Alison Rolf, cabinet member for stronger communities and partnerships, had told this week's meeting that NSL, a private contractor, had been appointed to conduct patrols - which would start in the coming weeks.

A "great deal of time" has gone into setting up the service, after the council admitted that its own enforcement officers were prioritising other offences.

The new wardens will wear body-cams in order to capture evidence of people breaking the law.

"The project launches this month and officers have been tasked with issuing [fixed penalty notices] for littering and dog fouling," added Cllr Rolf.

The two-year pilot was approved last June and a consultation on the use of body-cams held in the autumn, although Cllr Buxton-Sait said there was some frustration over the length of time it had taken to get the initiative up-and-running.

On fly-tipping, Cllr Rolf confirmed that there were a number of ongoing investigations, but argued cases were "complex" and there was a high burden of proof needed to issue a fine or prosecute the culprit.

"There is a need for rigour to be applied in terms of investigations," she said.

"If I could just give you some context, just one in 450 fly-tipping cases in England leads to a prosecution.

"So out of 997,553 incidents of fly-tipping [nationwide] last year ... only 2,243 were dealt with successfully in court."

She said she would be meeting with council officers in a few weeks' time to discuss the process, insisting she wanted to bring as many people to book as possible.

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