The Council’s Enforcement Officers deal with a variety of environmental issues on public land that can have a negative impact on the local environment. They undertake routine patrols in the Borough of Ipswich.

Littering

• Is a criminal offence, punishable by fines of up to £2500
• Dropping cigarette butts is considered littering
• Dropping them down drains is still considered littering
• Dropping organic waste including seed husks is considered littering
• Officers patrol the town and can issue a £150 Fixed Penalty Notice to offenders if they catch someone dropping litter.

Fly-tipping / Illegal Dumping

• Is a criminal offence, punishable by unlimited fines and/or a custodial sentence of up to 5 years
• Officers investigate incidents of illegal waste and issue fixed penalty notices to offenders
• If you see it, report it here

 Duty Of Care

• Residents have a responsibility to make sure anyone collecting their waste is licensed
• If you do not, you could face prosecution
• Ask the driver to see their waste carrier’s license. All waste carriers must have this by law. If they do not have one, or it is out of date, refuse to deal with them and report them to the Environment Agency. The register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers can be found here
• Businesses have a legal responsibility to safely contain and legally dispose of any rubbish they produce. They are also obliged to hold a valid waste transfer note from their current contractor, which our officers may ask to see. If a business fails to produce the correct documentation within the timeframe given, a fixed penalty notice may be issued.

Dog Fouling

• Is a criminal offence, punishable by fines of up to £1000
• Owners must carry bags, not having a bag is not an excuse
• Officers regularly patrol and can give fixed penalty notices to offenders
• Report a dog fouling hotspot here

 Stray Dogs

• Officers collect stray dogs if first captured by the finder
• It is an offence to have an un-chipped dog
• Report a stray dog here
  

 Abandoned Vehicles

• It is an offence to abandon a vehicle on open land and is punishable by fines of up to £1000.
• Officers investigate and remove vehicles deemed to be abandoned. A vehicle is only abandoned when an authorised officer has made the decision that the vehicle has been permanently left without lawful authority, and/ or is, in their opinion, in such a condition that it should be destroyed.
• We cannot use abandoned vehicle legislation to deal with parking issues.
• Vehicles causing an obstruction or parked in a dangerous position should be reported to Suffolk Police.
• Vehicles in regular use but untaxed or have no MOT are not abandoned, however they should be reported appropriately. You can check if a vehicle is taxed and has an up to date MOT here (Check if a vehicle is taxed and has an MOT).
• You can report an untaxed vehicle found on the highway here  Report an untaxed vehicle found on the highway)
• To report an abandoned vehicle, you will need to give us your details, along with the vehicle’s registration number, make, model, colour, its location and why you think it has been abandoned. Report an abandoned vehicle here.
• We require these details to ensure we can locate the vehicle and request any further details where needed to determine if the vehicle has been abandoned.
• After initial enquiries have been made, vehicles which we believe to have been abandoned will have a Notice of Removal fixed to them. Once the notice has lapsed, the vehicle will be removed and if unclaimed after 7 or 15 days, may be destroyed. A vehicle owner will be liable for costs of removal, storage, and destruction. Prior to the vehicle being removed, where the vehicle is claimed by the owner, or is found not to be abandoned, we will not take any action. We can not require them to relocate their vehicle.