21,500 nuisance complaints keep council very busy

Problem pets, loud noise and fly-tipping top the list

Wa r d e n s dealt with almost 21,500 anti- social call- outs across Renfrewshire in just four years, shock figures reveal.

Renfrewshire Council told how staff have been besieged with complaints over noise, danger dogs, fly- tipping, dumped motors and threats.

They have been forced to deal with nearly 15 incidents every day since.

A Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board report laid bare the challenge faced by workers.

It explained: “Serious incidents such as threatening behaviour and street disorder dealt with by the wardens fell dramatically in the last year.

“This corresponds with the overall drop in anti- social behaviour referrals.

“However, this has been replaced with an increase in environmental complaints, including those related to abandoned vehicles.

“Smoking is also no longer a common complaint as the general public continues to adopt a healthier lifestyle by becoming non-smokers.”

Wardens had to deal with dog-related issues more than any other in the last four years.

Teams received 1,963 complaints over problem animals and owners in 2013-14.

This dropped steadily over the next 24 months, down to 1,781 and 1,411.

Last year, they were called to probe 1,378 dog concerns — down almost 30 per cent over the period.

In contrast, concerns over ‘ vehicle issues’ have risen sharply.

Warden call-outs have more than doubled over the period, to 568 from 207.

Street disorder reports spiked at 741 two years ago, but have since remained just under 500.

And community safety fears topped 725 in the last 12 months, up almost 58 per cent on the year before.

A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said: “On a normal day, the Renfrewshire wardens could be tackling antisocial behaviour, dog fouling, littering, parking offences or a variety of other tasks.

“As well as conducting enforcement a c t i v i t i e s, educational programmes are delivered to schools and patrols have become more visible to ensure everyone is aware that their help is available.

“The council has received an increase in complaints about abandoned vehicles since the DVLA changed the rules on displaying tax discs, with a significant number of these complaints made anonymously.

“We would encourage residents to leave their name when they report an abandoned vehicle.

“This helps us know if a vehicle isn’t deemed to be abandoned, as well as reducing repeat complaints about the same vehicle.”