A call has been made for a crackdown on litter louts in Dumfries after a street was left looking like a “bombsite” over the weekend.
Traders in Friars Vennel were disgusted to find black bags ripped open by seagulls and rubbish strewn all over the place, including in a nearby car park.
Businessman Niall Cowan, who owns properties in the Vennel, vented his anger on the new online complaints forum, The Echo.
He claimed people in the Vennel have been “dumping bags out at all times of the day and night” which are then torn apart by seagulls, leaving rubbish strewn around the area.
“We need action to stop this happening”, he said.
Former council leader John Dowson, founder of The Echo, told the Standard the litter problem was one of the major issues that has been raised by people since the forum was launched just over a week ago.
He said: “We need a zero tolerance approach when it comes to litter and we need to be able to identify the people responsible through CCTV to let them know, ‘watch out, you’re on camera and you will be caught.’”
Members of the public also slammed litter louts.
Rab Jones said the area was a “terrible mess” on Monday morning while another man added: “It looks like a bombsite. The council really needs to take action. The state of the car park would put people off using it.”
The council’s community safety team can issue fixed penalty notices of £80 to anyone dropping litter.
On the local authority website, it states: “Our officers patrol towns and villages to monitor littering and issue fixed penalty notices if required. The team provides education and advice in communities too.
“We also provide bins in public places to deter people from dropping litter.”
But Mr Dowson said: “The council workmen do a great job, but there’s not enough of them and there’s really not enough bins.
“The council say the community wardens are out and about, but where are they and why aren’t they able to identify the people causing this litter problem?
“We will be pushing for a crackdown and more action taken by the council and the police.”
