The good work of Conservative controlled West Lancashire Borough Council in tackling litter, fly tipping and dog fouling has received national television coverage.
Dame Joan Bakewell and a team from the BBC’s Panorama programme spent the day filming the Environmental Enforcement Team as they patrolled Ormskirk on market day.
The programme was aired on BBC1 on Monday 28 October and showed the Council staff having discussions with businesses about waste disposal and leafleting of car parks. They were also filmed speaking to the public in Coronation Park about dog fouling and responsible ownership.
Panorama wanted to film West Lancashire staff as statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on fly tipping show the Council to be very active on that issue.
Dame Joan Bakewell and the TV crew were keen to learn more about the Environmental Enforcement Team, which was formed in January of this year to boost frontline enforcement. The staff patrol the whole borough keeping an eye out for litter louts, fly tippers and dog owners who allow their pets to foul and do not clean it up.
Councillor David Sudworth, portfolio holder for Health, Leisure and Community Safety, said: “Residents get very annoyed when they see dog fouling, litter and fly tipping on our streets, parks and countryside. Dog fouling is not only unpleasant it is a health hazard.
“The Council takes these issues very seriously which is why we formed the Environmental Enforcement Team. The Panorama team appeared impressed with how clean Ormskirk was and the programme highlighted the hard work the Council does to tackle these issues.”
The programme also featured beach clean-ups in Weston-Super-Mare, litter picks in Suffolk and the work of Keep Britain Tidy.
Problems with fly tipping or dog fouling can be reported 24 hours a day on the council's dog control or fly tipping pages. Or you can report problems with litter, dog fouling, fly tipping or stray dogs by calling Customer Services on 01695 577177 between 8.30am and 5.30pm.