West Oxfordshire District Council

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Street Cleansing

The Council's contractors clean all public streets in the district on a routine basis according to their classification. The service also collects fly-tipped waste, empties litter and dog waste bins, deals with dead animals (ie. road kill) and also deals with incidents of graffiti and vandalism.

To report any problems or incidents relating to these services, please use the links to Online Services on the right hand side or contact Street Scene on 01993 861020.

Fly tipping

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposition of waste onto land i.e. waste dumped or tipped on a site that has no licence to accept waste.

The types of waste that are fly-tipped include larger items of domestic waste such as fridges and mattresses or commercial waste such as builders rubble and tyres, but the most common fly-tip is a black bag of household rubbish simply left at the side of a main road.

Why is it a problem?

It could be a hazard to the public e.g. toxic waste, asbestos, syringes, used drugs.
It might cause damage to watercourses, or to underlying soil quality.
Fly-tipped material looks unsightly and can damage inward investment into an area.
Cleaning up fly tipping costs taxpayers in money and time.
Fly-tipping undermines legitimate waste management activities.

What does the law say?

Only holders of a Waste Management Licence can recover, transport, deposit or dispose of waste.
Waste can only be deposited at officially authorised sites.
Anyone fly tipping waste is committing a serious offence and could face substantial fines or even a prison sentence.
Where fly-tipping involves the use of a vehicle, the driver can be prosecuted, as can the person who owns the vehicle.
The Environment Agency has the power to seize vehicles used for fly-tipping under the Control of Pollution Amendment Act 1989.

Report Fly Tipping online

Fly-Posting

What is fly-posting?

Fly-posting is the unlawful display of advertisements (usually for events or businesses) pasted, attached or painted on to buildings, street furniture or other structures (including trees and the surface of the road or pavement) without the consent of the owner or the necessary permission.

Why is it a problem?

It can be unsightly and is a defacement of the property on which it is placed.
In some locations it could be a distraction to motorists.
It may obliterate or obscure legitimate signage, such as road signs.

What does the law say?

The application of posters, notices and stickers should be restricted to legal advertising sites.
Anyone wanting to erect signs must obtain planning permission first. To obtain permission to put up signs, contact Planning Services on 01993 861420.
Persistent offenders can be prosecuted.

Report Fly Posting online

Dog Fouling

What is dog fouling?

The offence of dog fouling is considered to have taken place when a person permits a dog in their charge to foul in a public place and fails to clean it away immediately after.

A public place means land to which the public has access within built up areas of the District, which includes roads, gutters, footpaths, verges, pedestrian areas, parks, school playing fields, sports grounds, and cemeteries etc.

Ideally, dogs should be trained from an early age to go at home in their own garden before or after a walk, rather than during.

If dog fouling does occur away from home it can be quickly and easily removed using any suitable plastic bag without your hands coming into contact with the faeces. Simply place your hand inside the bag, pick up the faeces, and then pull the bag down around your hand, effectively turning it inside out, and resulting in the waste now being contained within. Tie a knot in the bag and dispose of it in a dog waste bin or take it home for disposal. If this is not possible, as a last resort double-wrap in two plastic bags and dispose of in a litter bin.

This authority offers special 'poop scoop' bags free to members of the public.
There are over 500 dog waste bins installed throughout the district.
Aluminium dog fouling warning signs and self-adhesive stickers are also available.

Why is it a problem?

Dog faeces carry many germs that can cause illness and in extreme cases could result in blindness.
It is both offensive to smell and to look at, and is extremely unpleasant to step in.

Report Dog Fouling online

Litter

What is littering?

Litter could be anything from wrappers, cans, bottles, food, plastic bags, cigarette ends, apple cores, matchsticks, and chewing gum to larger items such as bags of rubbish and abandoned shopping trolleys. The offence of littering relates to what is done with the litter, rather than what it is, and that would be throwing, dropping, or otherwise depositing something somewhere where you shouldn't, including from out of a car window.

Always put your litter in a bin, and if there are no bins take it home with you.

Why is it a problem?

It is unsightly and reduces people's pride in and enjoyment of public areas.
Some litter is dangerous to wildlife and can suffocate or strangle birds or mammals.
The cost of cleaning, collecting, and removing often falls to the taxpayer.
It can often take many years to degrade.

For example:

Plastic bottles can last indefinitely, and plastic dropped in a field today could still be there in the next millennium.
Aluminium litter such as drinks cans last from 80 to 100 years, as do nappies.
Plastic bags given away free by supermarkets last between 10 and 20 years.
Cigarette butts, orange peel, banana skins and apple cores can last up to two years.

What does the law say?

Littering is an offence and litterers can be issued with a £50 fixed penalty notice.
If not paid within 14 days they can be taken to court and fined up to £2,500.
The local authority has a legal duty to clear litter from land for which it is responsible.
Schools are legally responsible for clearing the litter and refuse from their own grounds but have no responsibility for clearing the litter outside their grounds.
If a piece of private land is littered, the owner is responsible for clearing the litter.

Report Litter problems online