The Enforcement Team deals with a wide range of environmental issues across the Borough, 7 days a week. They proactively enforce the following environmental issues:
Abandoned Vehicles
The Enforcement Team actively investigate abandoned vehicles in and around the Borough.
Abandoned vehicles are expensive to remove, have a negative impact on the environment, look unsightly and can lower the quality of life in Darlington.
Trade Waste
The team regularly patrol commercial premises to enforce the regulations placed upon them and to ensure that trade waste is kept safe, stored appropriately and disposed of properly.
Dog Fouling
More information about dog fouling
Fly Posting
Fly posting [external link] is the placing of posters and placards on buildings and street furniture without lawful authority. This is detrimental to the amenity of the area. The enforcement officers investigate and remove fly posters throughout the Borough.
Fly Tipping and Litter
More information about
flytipping and litter
Graffiti
Graffiti is any illegal marking to walls and other surfaces. Although there are many types of graffiti, by far the most prevalent throughout England are juvenile scribbles which are responsible for most of the graffiti on our streets. It is a criminal offence but in certain circumstances can be dealt with by enforcement officers.
Graffiti [external link] is often difficult and costly for councils to clean. Its removal can be very labour intensive and in many cases requires specialist machinery and materials to ensure that an area is completely cleared.
Nuisance Vehicles
Motorcycles riding off road is not only a nuisance to communities but can also pose danger to the public. The enforcement team work with the police to combat this offence and help trace the offenders.
Vehicles constantly being repaired at the roadside can cause obstruction and also have negative effects upon the environment.
Vehicles for sale on the roadside may be poorly parked; causing an obstruction; involved in a residential parking dispute; broken down and/or untaxed.
Untaxed Vehicles
The enforcement team have the powers to seize any vehicles that are untaxed on public roads.
Waste Interference
This relates to waste being interfered with in order to obtain details to commit identity fraud or to find goods of value. Not only is this a criminal offence but it also causes waste to be spilled out into the back lanes and streets. The team patrol out of hours to combat this problem.
Waste being transported by motor vehicles
Waste carriers must hold a licence to state they can legally carry a particular type of waste to ensure that waste is disposed of correctly. Householders must ensure waste carriers are registered to carry their waste, failure to do so could result in a fine.