Great Lakes Council rangers report that the ‘usual issues’ of parking illegally and irresponsible dog ownership continue to be the reasons they are forced to fine Great Lakes residents.

“We would love to see a month when we did not have to enforce public safety with regard to parking and dog ownership,” Council’s Manager of Waste, Health and Regulatory Services, Mr John Cavanagh told Myall Coast News.

“The vast majority of people are community-minded and don’t park illegally in disabled spaces and at bus stops.  Most dog owners in the Great Lakes are responsible and keep others safe when their dog is in public,” said Mr Cavanagh.

“Unfortunately it only takes one person to do the wrong thing and the results can be catastrophic for an innocent person in our community.”

Rangers issued 82 verbal warnings during June and were forced to issue 35 penalty infringement notices for a range of offences.

Parking in disabled spaces without a permit attracted a fine of $519 each for four people, while one person who repeatedly used another person’s permit to park illegally in a disabled spot incurred a massive $623 fine.

“Members of the public notified us of this instance, and it’s good to see the majority of citizens working to ensure we give disabled people a fair go in our community,” said Mr Cavanagh.

Five fines were issued for offences relating to dog control in public spaces.