District Enforcement

We work in partnership with District Enforcement - a company that specialises in enviro-crime enforcement – to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) to those seen littering, failing to clear up after their dog or breaching Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).

Fixed Penalty Notices

Authorised officers from District Enforcement will issue a FPN to anyone they observe, or have evidence to support, has committed an environmental crime such as dropping litter or failing to clean up after their dog. Choosing not to pay a FPN will result in the initiation of court proceedings with a maximum fine of £2,500 and potential conviction at a Magistrates' Court.

A Fixed Penalty Notice could be issued if you:

• Drop litter - this includes chewing gum, fast food, fast food packaging, leftover fruit (for example, apple cores and banana skins), drinks containers and sweet wrappers
• Drop cigarette ends - cigarette waste is classified in the same way as any other form of litter and should be disposed of in a bin. Smokers have a responsibility to ensure their cigarette is completely extinguished before placing in a litter bin - this prevents any risk of fire within the litter bin. If you do not dispose of cigarette waste properly (for example, in a litter bin), you can be issued with a FPN. If you do not have access to a litter bin, why not carry a portable disposable ashtray with you or create one by placing some soil or sand in a small tin? This will ensure you always have somewhere to dispose of cigarette ends responsibly
• Fail to comply with a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) - for example, failing to pick up after the dog you are walking, not disposing of dog poo in the correct way or not having the means available to pick up after your dog. It is not a valid excuse to say that you didn’t see the dog fouling or that you forgot to bring a bag with you. Find out more about PSPOs.

Paying a Fixed Penalty Notice

A period of 14 days is given to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice.

Pay your District Enforcement FPN online

Alternatively, call District Enforcement on 0151 647 0387.

If your financial circumstances mean you are unable to pay within the 14-day period, please email dacorum.council@district-enforcement.co.uk to immediately to discuss your circumstances. This will be reviewed and a payment extension may be granted. All correspondence details can be found on the Fixed Penalty Notice issued and on any other correspondence sent by District Enforcement. Payments will not be accepted by instalment.

If you choose not to pay the fixed penalty you will be prosecuted for the offence.

Appealing a Fixed Penalty Notice

There are no formal grounds of appeal against a FPN as it is an invitation to expel any liability to be prosecuted in court. While this is not an admission of guilt, by agreeing that an offence has been committed and by paying the FPN, no further action will be taken by ourselves. Dealing with it in this manner saves time for everyone (including the offender) in prosecuting cases at court, and associated costs of any fine imposed by the court.

If you choose to pick up the litter or dog poo after an Enforcement Officer has approached you, a FPN will still be issued as the offence has already been committed. The littering or dog fouling offence relates to the dropping of litter or failure to clean up after the dog and then walking away from this once it has occurred.

You can make a representation to District Enforcement in cases where an individual has an issue with the conduct of the Enforcement Officer, or would like to express their reasons as to why a FPN should not have been issued. This can be done by emailing dacorum.council@district-enforcement.co.uk. 

If the representation is denied or you do not pay the FPN, then the matter will be dealt with through formal prosecution at a Magistrates' Court. It will then be up to the court, on receiving evidence, to determine whether or not an offence was committed and therefore whether or not any penalty should be imposed. Allowing the offence to progress to formal court action therefore becomes the mechanism for those wishing to appeal a FPN.

District Enforcement Officers

District Enforcement provides experienced and professional Enforcement Officers who work under the direction and on behalf of ourselves. Its officers will patrol any area of land that is open to public access including town centres, villages, parks and other environmental hotspots.

The Environmental Officers are specialists in their field, and we have given them clear and defined delegated powers. The Officers follow current legislative guidelines and our enforcement policy.

All officers operating within Dacorum have been screened and vetted by the Disclosure and Barring Service, in compliance with British Standard 7858:2012. Officers have received intensive introductory training and will continue to receive ongoing professional development to ensure high standards required by ourselves are met. Officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras, which ensures footage of every interaction between officers and members of the public are recorded. Officers are not paid against the number of Fixed Penalty Notices they issue. They are paid an hourly rate and do not receive any bonuses.

Any complaints against the officers should be made to in writing to dacorum.council@district-enforcement.co.uk and will be handled in line with established procedures. Please be aware that making a complaint will be dealt with separately to the issued FPN and, as an offence is alleged, you remain liable to prosecution unless you choose to pay the FPN within the timescale specified.

More information

District Enforcement has a helpful list of frequently asked questions on its website.