A borough council in Nottinghamshire is looking to introduce stricter penalties for dog owners who do not pick up after their pooch.
In a virtual cabinet meeting held by Gedling Borough Council on Thursday, September 10, members discussed the possibility of a public consultation for a protection order on dog fouling.
The consultation of four weeks would be to decide whether a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) could be implemented for dog fouling.
PSPOs are intended to address activities carried out in public spaces which have a detrimental effect on people's quality of life.
Anyone found to be in breach of a PSPO can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of up to £100, payable within 14 days.
Failure to do so can then lead to prosecution at the Magistrates' Court and a fine of up to £1,000.
If a PSPO is brought in for dog fouling it would affect all wards of Gedling borough.
This means all public land such as pavements and highways, parks and recreation grounds, all children’s play areas and all football pitches.
Where an offence occurs and a person with a disability has a reasonable excuse this would be taken into consideration before enforcement is pursued.
Guide dogs and assistance dogs will be exempt from the requirements of the PSPO.
Currently, there is a £50 fixed penalty for not picking up dog mess but Councillor David Ellis, speaking at the meeting, said it is "never easy for wardens to catch people in the act".
He added it was difficult to gather evidence and the council relied on plain clothes patrols as well as public support.
Councillor Ellis said there had been some success with Gedling Country Park - a popular location for dog walkers - with members of the public reporting offences to the council.
Councillor Ellis added that allowing the whole of Gedling borough to be brought under a PSPO "sends a message that is is unacceptable".
In 2017/18 two fixed penalty notices were issued for dog fouling, in 2018/19 five were issued and in 2019/20 three were issued. To date this year two have been issued.
However, in 2018/2019 there were 167 such reports and in 2019/2020 there were 213.
But due to needing to obtain sufficient evidence it is difficult to take enforcement action against individuals.
The incident needs to be witnessed and details of the dog owner obtained.
The agenda states ability to issue fixed penalty notices and take prosecutions in itself is a deterrent to those who are tempted not to clear up after their dog.
If a PSPO is not introduced by October 20 the council will not be able to enforce dog fouling offences until such time as a PSPO is made.
