A CRACKDOWN on litter blighting one of the district’s towns has begun after a three-year campaign by residents.

The district council has cautioned three people living in Waltham Abbey for leaving rubbish in the street and has also promised to use its powers more often to fine people who drop litter, after pressure from the town’s Neighbourhood Action Panel.

The council was granted powers to issue fixed penalty notices and fines for low-level crimes like noise, littering and dog fouling in August last year, with penalties ranging from £50 to £300.

But so far, only three people across the district have been fined, all for failing to get rid of their household waste properly.

The council is planning to hand out another three notices for littering, with several other cases still being investigated.

The chairman of the Waltham Abbey Neighbourhood Action Panel, Bill Davies, said: “I welcome (fixed penalty notices) and I think they should be used more.

“I think we need to encourage people to be more environmentally aware and community-spirited because I think this issue affects us all.

“It affects the price of properties and the look of the place, and it’s a few people that make it worse for others.”

After three years of pushing the council for something to be done about littering across the town and household rubbish being left in the streets on the Roundhills estate, the council has pledged to crack down on littering and dog mess across the district.

It is also dealing with the problem of rubbish being left in the streets of Roundhills by sending cautionary letters to 40 repeat offenders and summoning three to its Epping offices for a caution and advice on how to deal with their waste.

“That’s a result,” said Mr Davies. “That shows, I think, what co-operation between Waltham Abbey Neighbourhood Action Panel and the local authority can achieve. If nothing else, we’re persistent.

“That’s been an ongoing issue. We’ve been expressing concern over most of our existence, which is about three years.”