Councils in South Holland, Boston and East Lindsey confirm dog poo fine figures following Freedom of Information request submitted by LincsOnline

One council has scooped thousands of pounds from dog poo fines while others are failing to act, figures from a Freedom of Information request have revealed.

While public decency should encourage people to pick up after their pets, stickers and signs threatening hefty fines should definitely be cause for motivation.

Yet, dog dirt continues to cover our streets — and spark frustration on social media.

In the past five years just two fines have been issued in South Holland to owners not picking up their dog’s mess, a Freedom of Information request submitted by LincsOnline has revealed. One was a fixed penalty notice while the other was heard in court.

New rules were introduced in South Holland on February 1 to crack down on the issue.

Dog owners will now be fined £100 if they don’t have a poo bag with them while out walking or if they are caught failing to clean up their dog’s mess.

The district-wide Public Spaces Protection Order also prevents dogs from entering enclosed children’s play areas.

Boston Borough Council has issued 45 fines over the past five years, with 23 of these being handed out in the past year alone.

This has scooped in £2,750 for the council from fixed penalty notices.

While in East Lindsey 10 fines have been issued throughout the five year period from 2019 to 2024.

Other councils in Lincolnshire and Rutland, who answered LincsOnline’s questions last month without a Freedom of Information request, confirmed that few, if any, fines have been issued for dog fouling.

Rutland County Council doesn’t issue fines as there aren’t any PSPOs relating to dog fouling and likewise in North Kesteven a focus is put on preventative measures rather than FPNs.

No fines were given in South Kesteven and in West Lindsey just three were dished out since 2023.