IN THE past three years in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area there has been 1,226 complaints of littering/fly-tipping, or illegal dumping, with 268 fixed penalty notices issued.

In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the Council revealed that December, 2020 saw the fewest number of complaints (9) while April, 2020 had the highest number (107); however there were only two fines handed out that month.

The most fines were handed out in April, 2018 (16), while the fewest were in March 2021 when only one fine was handed out despite 47 complaints being made.

From 2019 to 2020, there was an increase in the number of complaints, rising from 344 to 437, but with only a slight increase in the number of fines, rising from 80 to 83.

The Council was unable to provide accurate information on hotspots for littering; however, a new recording system is being developed which should enable the identification of such areas in the future.

Another FoI request covering the same time period – March, 2018 to March, 2021 – showed the Council received 704 complaints of dog fouling; however, only five penalties were handed out.

The information shows that there has been an increase in the number of complaints since March, 2018, which, along with April, May and June of that year, had no complaints.

But while there were no complaints in May, 2018, there were two fixed penalty notices handed out.

Three remaining penalty notices were handed out in January, 2020 when 48 complaints were made; January, 2021 saw 21 complaints and March, 2021 saw 18 complaints made to the Council about dog fouling.

The data shows that less than 1 per cent of complaints about dog fouling has led to a fine being handed out.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, from June to October last, the highest number of such complaints were received, with 256; last August recorded the highest number over the three years, with 61, followed by last September (52) and October (50).

Only one fine handed out

The entire year of 2020 saw 397 complaints being made, compared to 213 in 2019. Over the same two years, only one fine was handed out.

In Fermanagh, the areas which have the most reports of dog fouling are around the Lakeland Forum, Enniskillen Castle, Derrychara Playing Fields, The Round O, and Bellanaleck Loughshore and Riverside walks.

Today, some of these locations feature messages encouraging dog owners to pick up after their canine friends.

A Council spokesperson said the local authority is “concerned at the level of littering throughout the district”.

They continued: “Littering has a significant detrimental impact on our environment, in terms of climate change, it is dangerous for animals and plants, and it causes pollution, which can affect our water courses.

“It is also unsightly, and this has a negative impact on the tourism potential of the district as it destroys the natural beauty which we are proud of.

“The recent Clean Neighbourhoods Report 2020-2021 highlighted that the average cost to keep our streets clean is almost £50 per ratepayer – the third-highest cost of all 11 Northern Ireland councils.

“The Council spends almost £2 million per year cleaning up litter, which impacts on resources both financial and in terms of manpower – resources which could be employed in a more beneficial way for the community.

“There is no excuse for littering – it is illegal and anti-social.”

The Council is calling on residents and visitors to stop littering, pick litter up, and report illegal littering and they have also agreed to increase the fine for littering to £80, whilst also promoting ‘Leave No Trace’ principles in the district.