Environmental Enforcement Officers
Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) are our waste and environmental crime enforcement contractors. They provide uniformed officers who respond and enforce a range of environmental offences. This can include littering and fly-tipping.
The officers have powers under specific legislation. They can issue fixed penalty notices to individuals and businesses. These notices are issued to those who may have carried out or are responsible for certain offences, including waste management, street trading, and highway obstructions.
The officers manage and enforce our mooring conditions on the River Thames.
The Environmental Enforcement team manages the contract. The income from fees and penalties helps towards paying for the contract but are not intended to cover all costs.
Our Environmental Enforcement Officers
Environmental Enforcement Officers wear a dark-coloured uniform featuring the Borough Crest and the logo of the enforcement contractor WISE, together with the words ‘Environmental Enforcement Officer’
When approaching members of the public in respect to an offence, they will:
- introduce themselves and produce an ID card to prove who they are
- record all conversations using their body-worn camera for transparency
- explain why they are talking to you
When talking to you about a waste management issue, they will make you aware of your duty of care when disposing of waste, whether you are an individual or a business owner.
If the Officer has evidence that an offence has been committed, they may issue you with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). The amount of the FPN will depend on how serious the offence is and the nature of the offence.
Penalties can be:
- £150 for littering
- £400 for fly tipping
- £300, if your business doesn't have adequate waste disposal arrangements.
Non-waste-related enforcement
Officers will give you details of what they have identified as being of concern. They may ask you to provide information about your actions
If the Officer has evidence that an offence has been committed, they may issue you with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or Mooring Penalty Notice (MPN).
The amount of the penalty will depend on the type of offence. Details of the level of penalties and the offences we enforce are provided in the document ‘Fixed Penalty Amounts
Officers will never:
- use threatening language or behaviour
- ask you to pay a penalty notice immediately or on the spot with cash or card
- ask you to provide your bank account details
Paying a penalty notice
You will have 28 days to pay via telephone or online.
How to pay the penalty is set out on the FPN. Some notices are eligible for a reduced penalty if paid within 14 days of the issue date.
There is no right of appeal against a FPN or Mooring Charge Notice. You have the right to not to pay the penalty and to defend (appeal) against a prosecution in Court.
However, the Council and WISE will consider representations or complaints made by individuals who have received notices and contact details for this purpose are provided on the penalty notice.
Raise complaints and concerns
If you are unsure why you have been given a notice or have any questions or concerns about the incident that led to the notice being issued, raise these first with the contractor directly. You can contact WISE by email rbk@wasteenforcement.co.uk or by telephone to 0333 577 2949
You can also log concerns online
If your concerns remain after the response from WISE, you can ask us to consider your concerns by raising a complaint through the Corporate Complaints Process.
Concerns that have been considered by WISE will be treated as a Stage 1 complaint and investigated through that process. Any concern about the conduct of an officer should also be made through this process in the first instance.