Twenty people were “ticked off” in Blackbird Leys for failing to sort out their household rubbish properly during a two-month crackdown on mess.

Officers from Oxford City Council have been keeping an eye out for dog foulers, litterbugs, flytippers and abandoned cars on the estate as part of its Cleaner, Greener Campaign.

During the crackdown in February and March, 20 households were handed enforcement notices instructing them to store waste properly – and they all complied.

The notices are handed to homes with excess waste either left by a wheelie bin, put out too early, or placed in the wrong container.

If the notice is ignored the council can issue a £100 fine.

Graham Eagle, the city council’s public health team leader, said: “Firstly they need to make sure they have the right receptacle and they have adequate facilities for recycling.

“They need to recycle as much as they can.

“There are going to be times when you have a party, or things like that, when you have extra waste, but that can be taken to Redbridge Recycling Centre or you can hold it back and put it in next time.

“If people recycle to the max they shouldn’t have excess waste.”

Two people were fined £80 for dropping cigarette butts outside Blackbird Leys shops in Blackbird Leys Road, and one person was fined for dropping pizza boxes in Frys Hill Park in Greater Leys.

Six abandoned cars were also dealt with by the council, while Mr Eagle revealed he was investigating two incidents of fly-tipping in Ambassador Avenue, at the Oxford Retail Park.

In one incident, car parts, including doors and bumpers, were dumped at the recycling depot, and the other where household waste was dropped.

In addition, investigations are under way into dumped domestic waste in Cuddesdon Way and Balfour Road, and in Kestrel Crescent, where rubbish and car parts were found.

The council is hoping to unveil a mobile CCTV camera in the next few months to secretly capture flytippers in the act across the city once technical arrangements have been finalised.

Mr Eagle said: “Fly-tipping is the biggest problem. The worst area is Ambassador Avenue – it’s the main contributor to fly-tipping in the area.

“We are investigating all incidents of fly-tipping and we will take them as far as we can.

“There is no excuses for it with kerbside collections and free bulky waste collection there is no reason for it.”

He said the operation as a whole, had been successful.

“The estate looks good. We haven’t had to take a lot of enforcement, a lot of the education we have been doing has worked and there is quite a strong sense of community in Blackbird Leys and they have taken it upon themselves to look after their area.

“Rubbish breeds rubbish and if people have pride in their area they will look after it.”