Milton Keynes Highly Praised in National Tidy Britain Competition

12.00.00am GMT Sat 24th Mar 2007

Widespread efforts to tackle litter, fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, fly-posting and other antisocial behaviour were highly praised this month in the finals of a national competition.

The Milton Keynes Safer Communities Unit (SCU) - comprised of council, police and fire brigade staff - received major plaudits in the "partnership" category at the annual conference of ENCAMS (Environment Campaigns), which runs the Tidy Britain Group.

The SCU's remit is to improve the quality of life for residents in Milton Keynes - working in partnership to tackle the offenders who cause daily eyesores.

SCU spokesman Pete Roberts said: "It was a fantastic event, and even though we were runners up, it was great to see the work of the Milton Keynes Safer Communities Unit, and our partnership approach, in the national spotlight.

"We try to educate people about the impact of their actions before starting formal enforcement, but when education fails we will take action against those who commit environmental crimes such as fly-tipping, fly-posting, graffiti and abandoned vehicles.

"We also deal with unauthorised traveller encampments and work closely with the police in dealing with antisocial behaviour.

"We have been selected, along with eleven other councils nationally, out of a large number of local authority applicants to work closely with ENCAMS in a national smoking-related litter campaign in the spring of this year. We will be cracking down on people who drop cigarette butts in the street."

Since April 2006 the SCU has:

• Dealt with 888 reports of abandoned vehicles (573 were removed and destroyed - others were 'reunited' with their owners, who dealt with them)

• Removed 115 vehicles using the Council's "Dial a Wreck" service (through which residents can ask the Council to remove and destroy their old vehicles for a small fee)

• Issued 68 fixed-penalty tickets for offences such as fly-posting and littering, of which 95% have been paid (three people were prosecuted for non-payment and fined by local magistrates, and legal action is ongoing against others who haven't paid - the Council's practice is to take all non-payers to court)

• Worked jointly with the police who have issued 15 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts

• Obtained eight Anti-Social Behaviour Orders

• Run courses for hundreds of partners and representatives from other organisations to provide information on how to resolve antisocial behaviour at "ground level" before it escalates, and to provide a co-ordinated and consistent approach

• Undertaken joint operations with the police using mobile CCTV to gather evidence to tackle both environmental and criminal offences

• Carried out operations relating to dog fouling in partnership with the Milton Keynes Parks Trust

• Had 14 successful prosecutions in the courts for offences including fly-posting and fly-tipping (these offenders now have a criminal record in addition to having been fined).

Liberal Democrat Councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member for the environment, said: "The SCU reaching the final is recognition of the efforts that Milton Keynes Council is taking to clean up our Borough, and this comes hot on the heels of the Audit Commission survey on cleanliness, which moved Milton Keynes up among the top-performing local authorities in the country."