Last week, Barking and Dagenham Council launched an initiative to bring residents, Councillors and council officers together to combat antisocial behaviour concerns across the borough.

The scheme, known as Ward Walkabout, kicked off in Chadwell Heath Ward on Thursday 9 February where the council’s Community Safety Enforcement Team joined Cllrs Simon Perry and Michael Pongo as they went on a walk around of the local area.

During the walk, both councillors raised several issues on behalf of residents, including concerns about fly-tipping and damage to some communal areas.

While walking around, enforcement officers issued one Fixed Penalty Notice to an individual for spitting and two vehicles were reported to the DVLA for not having an MOT and vehicle excise duty.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “I’m really pleased to see this initiative take off as it is a great way for the community, elected members and officers to work closer together to combat issues that could be occurring around our borough.

“I’d like to thank Cllr Perry and Cllr Pongo for giving up their time for this important initiative and I would encourage other members to get involved in the scheme.”

Any issues raised will now be escalated to the relevant services in the council to resolve.