getting tough on bad behaviour

Homes for Haringey is getting tough on bad behaviour on estates. At meetings residents have raised their concerns about issues such as dumping of rubbish, dogs fouling on estates and illegal parking. We listened to your concerns and are now introducing a number of measures designed to eliminate these selfish and anti-social acts.

Rubbish

We now monitor all sorts of rubbish dumping on estates. Residents will be told when this is happening in their area.

Our Estate Services Officers have been trained to search rubbish bags for evidence of the owner. Although this is an unpleasant task, staff are willing to do it to help improve conditions for other tenants.

They also have been trained to issue fixed penalty notices: the culprits will have to pay between £75 and £2,500 for dumping their household waste in inappropriate places.

But it doesn't stop there. If a tenant continues to dump rubbish, they will be expected to sign an Anti-social Behaviour Contract (ABC). They may also be served with a Notice of Seeking Possession - this is the first step in being evicted from your home.

Rubbish is also dumped on estates by people who don't live there. They do this because they know the council has a duty to tenants to remove it. However, this costs the council money and residents end up paying for it through their rent and Council Tax. This must stop.

It is difficult for us to know who is responsible, but you can help. If you see someone dumping rubbish, take a note fo the registration number of the car, van or lorry and report it by calling 020 8885 7700

Parking

There are some very good reasons for having parking restrictions on housing estates. The main one is to make sure that, in an emergency, fire engines and ambulances have clear access to the buildings. Illegal parking can also block the rubbish collectors; cause damage to pavements, kerbs and grounds; and reduce the number of parking spaces for tenants.

Normally if someone parks illegally their vehicle is clamped and marked for removal by Wings (the company that enforces estate parking regulations). However, some people have taken the law into their own hands and removed the clamp themselves without paying the fee.

Wings can now take legal action against these people to recover the money they are already owed in unpaid fees. The owner and vehicle details are already on file because this information is recorded when a vehicle is clamped.

Wings can also remove the vehicle if it is seen at a later date, even if it is parked legally. Before taking any action Wings will check the car is still owned by the same person and after removing it the police will be notified.

The vehicle will not be returned to its owner until all outstanding fees have been paid in full. This amount will include a charge for storage and compensation for all clamps damaged by the vehicle owner.

Dog fouling

No-one wants to step around - and much less in! - dog mess while walking to or from their home. Who wants foul smelling exrement trails in their home or lobby area? Dog faeces can also carry parasitic worms and these can cause blindness in children.

If you are a dog owner, please remember to clean up after your pet. If you don't you could be fined.