Dog owners risk being fined £75 for failing to carry poo bags, in one English council’s effort to crack down on dog mess.
North Somerset Council has introduced new measures to combat the issue in the area, which includes on-the-spot fines for dog walkers if they’re unable to prove that they have the means to pick up after their dog.
The council has teamed up with private company Local Authority Support, whose teams will patrol local areas in the hope of catching offenders.
The local authority is also urging locals to use the Pooper Snooper app to report any sightings of dog mess in the area.
The council explains that officers will stop dog walkers in the area to ask them if they have the means to pick up their dog’s mess.
If the person can’t show the officer that they have a means of picking up dog mess, they will be fined £75 on the spot and given a bag for the remainder of their walk.
The move comes after a recent survey showed that 90% of people wanted to see more done about dog fouling, according to the council’s website .
Fines will also be handed out for anyone seen not picking up after their dog, disposing of bagged dog waste incorrectly, and for those caught littering in general, after survey responses showed that only 40% of people considered their local area to be clean.
Owners who walk their dogs on prohibited land, or have their dogs off the lead in places they shouldn’t be, also risk being issued fines.
There are dog controlled areas across North Somerset, such as children’s play areas and certain beaches, where dogs are not allowed, as well as other areas where they must be kept on a lead at all times.
“Unfortunately, due to a minority of dog owners who do not clear up after their pets, dog mess continues to blight our towns, villages and open spaces,” Councillor Mike Solomon explained.
"We hope this approach will deter people from offending in the first place and lead to North Somerset being a cleaner, greener place to visit, live and work," he said of the new measures.
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