Councillors in Tenby have been given an update on the environmental crime enforcement company’s progress since hitting the streets to issue ‘Fixed Penalty Notices’ to offenders.

The private firm known as ‘District’ which will partner Pembrokeshire County Council in the quest for cleaner streets, started operating across the county last week, handing out on-the-spot fines of up to £150 to anyone failing to keep areas clean and tidy.

Fixed penalty notices will be given to people spotted dropping litter or allowing dog-fouling, as well as those responsible for fly-posting, graffiti, and anti-social behaviour.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s meeting of Tenby town council the town clerk Andrew Davies told members that he’d met with the operation’s area supervisor on the first day, and the team had targeted areas such as the Esplanade, North Beach, St. John’s Hill, Heywood Lane, as well as the town centre.

“I’ve been trying to get some figures on how many fixed penalty notices were issued in the first few days, but they’ve not got back to me yet. “The scheme is supposed to be cost neutral and self supporting.

“I don’t know whether it’s psychological, but I have noticed less litter on the streets of Tenby since the firm started operating.

“Any problem areas identified by councillors, let me know and I can feed it through to the enforcement team as a ‘hot spot’ area,” he continued.

Mr. Davies said that the firm have also indicated that the onus will fall on the business owners of public houses where smokers drop cigarettes outside the premises to do something about matters, if littering continues.