Dog mess lands Leeds man in the dog house

A Leeds man has been fined for fined for failing to clear dog faeces, bags of rubbish and a fridge from his front yard after numerous requests from the council.

Daniel Reynard of Flat 286A York Road, Leeds, was fined £220, ordered to pay costs of £286.90 as well as a victim surcharge of £22, following a hearing a Leeds Magistrates Court yesterday (24 October 2016).

Mr Reynard was found guilty in his absence of failing to comply with community protection notices requiring him to remove the waste and non-payment of the resulting fixed penalty notice.

Officers responded to an anonymous complaint regarding a build-up of waste in the front yard at Mr Reynard’s property last January and observed a large accumulation of black bags, dog faeces and a fridge. Despite being served with a Community Protection warning letter, a Community Protection Notice and a Fixed Penalty Notice over the following three months, Mr Reynard failed to ensure the waste was removed. Officers even provided Reynard with advice on how to have the fridge collected free of charge, which he did not follow.

Contractors working on behalf of the council had to be called in to remove and dispose of the waste, fridge and dog faeces to ensure the environment was acceptable for the local community. The costs of which were charged back to Reynard.

Community protection notices (CPN) direct people to stop causing a problem that is having a detrimental impact on the quality of life of people in their neighbourhood.

Waste accumulating in gardens or bin yards can have a detrimental impact on communities and issues can quickly spiral out of control. Failing to comply with a community protection notice issued to clear up gardens or bin yards could result in a £100 fixed penalty notice or prosecution, which carries a maximum £2,500 fine.

A wealth of information about what can go in what household bin and other services to help people deal with their waste appropriately can be found on the council’s website: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Bins-and-recycling.aspx