ALMOST 70 fixed penalty notices were issued by Durham County Council in December 2015.

They included 53 for littering, one for dog fouling, 12 for untidy gardens or yards and one for an abandoned vehicle and 27 people were prosecuted for failing to pay littering fines and four others were prosecuted for failing to pay fines for dog fouling.

Six community protection warnings were also handed to properties with untidy gardens or yards.

And four businesses were issued food waste warnings, giving them 24 hours’ notice to clean up after concerns were raised about the amount of rubbish being accumulated.

Meanwhile, 161 stray dogs were picked up, 148 antisocial behaviour cases were investigated and 71 alcohol seizures were carried out.

Alongside the enforcement action, teams visited seven primary schools to help plant 21 trees and taught pupils how to dispose of litter responsibly.

As part of Operation Stop It - a multi-agency crackdown on waste crime - 421 flytipping incidents were investigated with one person prosecuted and four stop and check operations carried out to ensure waste carriers were licensed.

Known dumping grounds for white goods are being targeted by officers with a leaflet drop to remind people about proper disposal.