ENVIRONMENTAL officers in an east Durham community are getting tough on waste offences with six takeaways warned to clean up their act or pay the price.

Easington District Council has issued each of the businesses with enforcement notices after they were found to be storing and disposing of their waste incorrectly.

The notices give the fast food outlets 28 days to mend their ways or their owners will face a fixed penalty fine of £300 or even legal action if they fail to pay.

Council environmental enforcement manager Ian Hoult said: "It is the legal duty of all shops, food outlets and other businesses to ensure their waste material is stored according to specific guidelines and is removed on a regular basis by an authorised waste carrier.

"During the past few weeks we have visited 79 hot food takeaways in the district and were pleased to see that the vast majority are fulfilling these obligations.

"However, there were a handful of cases where owners weren’t abiding by the law and in these instances we have given them a set period in which to mend their ways otherwise they will receive a fine."

Council enforcement wardens will be carrying out more visits to businesses around the district next week.

As part of the operation they will be reminding business owners that incorrectly stored waste can be a potential source of fire and can attract vermin, while dumping will be treated as flytipping.

This is the second major crackdown on business waste by the district council in recent months.

In October last year, 54 businesses in the Horden, Blackhall and Peterlee areas were given enforcement notices after their rubbish was found to be stored in an incorrect manner or was not being removed on a regular enough basis.

All but one of the shops rectified their business practices during the period given, with the remaining outlet being given a £300 fixed penalty notice.

The council also operates the Tidy Business scheme to encourage shops and small businesses to be environmentally friendly, and last year launched the Voluntary Code of Conduct, encouraging food outlets to adopt new practices and procedures to reduce litter.