Making a mark in Market Street

People in Market Street in Kidderminster are being reminded if they drop cigarette ends they will be picking up a fine.  The warning is part of a week of action against environmental crime in the area of the town centre.

From 15^th – 20^th March members of Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership, officers from Wyre Forest District Council and the police will be in Market Street raising awareness of the issues.  They will be giving out information and advice about personal safety and crime prevention.

Wyre Forest District Council's Enforcement Officers will be providing details on the penalties the authority can hand out to those who carry out environmental offences such as littering – including dropping cigarette ends, dog fouling and graffiti. The fines are £75 for littering and £50 for dog fouling.

Five new bins for cigarette ends are being installed in the area, which have been funded by Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership. The Council has also put up new signs warning people of the fines for dropping litter. 

There will be various information stands throughout the week.  On Tuesday the focus is on responsible dog ownership.  Forest Dog Rescue will have a stand and free pooper scoopers are being given away.  Personal safety is being highlighted on Thursday, when there will be the offer of free purse alarms, personal alarms and property marking packs.   

Throughout the week surveys will also be taking place.  The Community Safety Partnership is aiming to find out what people think and feel about the area so it can help make further improvements.

Helen Dyke, Chair of the Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership said,

"Market Street has been brought to our attention as part of the town centre which people feel needs improving.  We are looking to work with the people who visit there to find out more about how they feel about the area.  The idea of the week of action is to raise awareness of the environmental crime issues and to get others involved in helping us to tackle them." 

Councillor Tracey Onslow, Wyre Forest District Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Environmental Services said,

"We are delighted to be working with the Community Safety Partnership on this week of action.  It gives us another opportunity to explain to residents what we are doing to keep the district as clean as possible and also how they can help us to tackle the problem.  We ask residents to take pride in their area and be vigilant about depositing litter and dog mess in the bins provided."