The council has welcomed the increased action against offenders, but officials are keen to step up efforts to tackle the problem and drill home the ‘love where you live’ message to residents.
Coun Jack Scott, cabinet member for environment, recycling and streetscene, has called on the public to do their bit to preserve community pride.
He said: “250 is a huge number of notices compared with previous years. We only get a small income from the number of notices we issue, so it’s not about profit-making.
“We’d rather not have to do it at all, but we have to ensure we’re delivering a good environment.
“No area is immune to this problem and it is easy for somewhere to go downhill pretty quickly.
“We have to make sure there is a properly-resourced enforcement team, but we are hoping preventative work such as fixed penalty notices will encourage that minority to change their behaviour. And if residents can ever help us potentially identify somebody we’d welcome that.”
Episodes of littering which escalated in parks across the city during hot weather last summer highlighted the need for a tougher approach to the problem.
A number of plans are in the pipeline to tackle dog fouling and litter blighting the streets of the city, including new signage with slogans designed to act as a more effective deterrent.
The council has also ensured there is enough cash in next year’s budget to ensure workers can continue to walk the streets on the lookout for offenders.
Ian Ashmore, council head of environmental regulation, said: “Our workers go out in streets and parks.”
n What do you love about where you live? Where are the littering hotspots? Tell us by emailing news@thestar.co.uk using the subject Love Where You Live, visit www.facebook.com/sheffieldstar or tweet us @sheffieldstar with the hashtag #lovewhereyoulive
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