The Afigya Kwabre South District Assembly in the Ashanti Region has summoned 17 individuals and institutions for various sanitation offences following the nationwide clean-up exercise.

The offenders, who are expected to face prosecution, were cited for violating the district's environmental bylaws during the sanitation exercise.

Among those summoned is the Shell filling station at Afrancho, which was cited for allowing large volumes of refuse to accumulate on its premises.

According to the assembly, several business owners were also found operating while the frontages and surroundings of their shops remained unkempt, contrary to ongoing public education campaigns and directives on environmental sanitation.

The enforcement exercise formed part of a coordinated community clean-up involving the Ghana Police Service, churches, non-governmental organisations, District Assembly staff and residents. Participants cleared heaps of refuse and desilted clogged gutters and drainage systems across the district.

Speaking to Kumasi FM during the exercise, the District Environmental Health Analyst, Kwame Kusi Agyemang-Badu, said the offenders were mainly located within the Buoho and Afrancho communities.

He said the assembly was processing the offenders for court on Monday to serve as a deterrent to others who fail to comply with environmental sanitation regulations.

The District Coordinating Director, Yakubu Baba Seidu Kamara, also condemned the conduct of residents who disregarded sanitation regulations and urged the public to adopt proper waste management practices and cooperate with the Assembly to maintain a clean and healthy district.