A Dublin City Councillor has confirmed that incredibly zero fines have been issued for dog poo in Dublin for 2019 so far.
The new information obtained by Cabra-Glasnevin Councillor Colm O'Rourke comes after the fines issued for dog fouling have decreased dramatically in the past three years.
A high of 78 fines were issued in 2016 but this dropped to 22 in 2017 with only four giving out for the whole of last year.
Councillor O’Rourke said: "Whilst no fines have been issued this year for dog fouling, Dublin City Council are in the process of organising an anti-dog fouling awareness campaign”.
He added: “Dog dirt is an issue right across the city and residents are regularly in contact with me about it. There are times when pavements turn in to an obstacle course due to some dog owners not cleaning up after their dog.
“There is definitely more to be done in terms of education and any campaign to try and tackle this issue would be most welcome. Responsibility goes hand in hand with owning a dog and I urge dog owners to show pride in our city and to scoop the poop.”
Under Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, it is an offence for a person in charge of a dog not to clean up after their pet in a public place.
Failure to do so can see the person being issued with a €150 on-the-spot fine or on summary conviction to a fine of up to €4,000.
