The Environmental Crime Unit (ECU) investigates certain criminal offences on behalf of the council. These offences include:

• waste dumping
• littering
• flyposting on public land
• nuisance caused by repairing vehicles on a road
• nuisance caused by selling 2 or more vehicles on a road
• commercial waste offences (breaches of duty of care)
• household waste offences
• dog fouling
• scrap metal dealing offences

ECU also provides the council’s response to unauthorised encampments – i.e. traveller incursions. They also investigate reports of abandoned vehicles by checking the vehicle tax status, looking at the circumstances surrounding the report and, where necessary, removing vehicles and prosecuting those that have left the vehicles.

ECU manages the mobile CCTV capability on behalf of the council, primarily looking for fly tipping offenders.

ECU does not clear waste or dog fouling, but takes actions against offenders. This can be in the form of a:

• warning and education
• legal notice
• fixed penalty notice
• prosecution

There is, currently, a pilot scheme running where the council has employed a private company, WISE, to issue fixed penalty notices for littering offences. 

To provide information about those committing environmental crimes, please contact 01908 253200 or email scu.enforcement@milton-keynes.gov.uk.