First Dog Fouling Fixed Penalty Notice Issued Under New Zero Tolerance Policy

 

Following an intensive education and consultative period, Streetscene recently announced that the time for talking was over and that Officers would now be looking to issue fixed penalty notices for things such as littering, graffiti, abandoned cars and dog fouling.

 

At 7:45am this morning, Friday 26 January, an officer did just that when a member of the public was witnessed failing to clear up after their dog had fouled a footpath, adjacent to Portal Road, Bridgemary.

 

When the owner of the dog made no attempt to clear the mess from the footpath, which is adjacent to a local school, the officer immediately identified himself and gave the owner the option of accepting a Fixed Penalty Notice of £75, or prosecution in a Magistrates Court. The offender accepted the Fixed Penalty Notice and was instructed to remove the dog fouling which they did.

 

“Under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 and the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 it is an offence to fail to clear up after your dog once it has fouled”, said Stevyn Ricketts, Head of Streetscene. “Enforcement Officers are instructed, under a Council ruling of zero tolerance, to issue Fixed Penalty Notices of £75 when any such offence is witnessed.”

 

“This is the first of this type of Fixed Penalty Notice issued since the team became active, but with new systems of working introduced, including plain clothes patrols and Officers working out of the regular nine to five hours, we intend it not to be the last,” said Chairman of the Community & Environment Board, Councillor Dennis Wright. “There is really no excuse for people not to clear up after their pets, of course responsible dog owners already do.  But we hope this will be a clear message to those who don’t, that we are out there, we are watching, and we will issue fixed penalty notices to anyone found not clearing up after their dog!”