No dog fouling fines issued in South Kesteven or Rutland

Prolific dog poo offenders are not being punished.

Side-stepping to avoid a pile of mess left on a pavement is a frustration to us all, even worse if you are too late to notice and are left with a smear on your shoe.

When buying or adopting a dog, clearing up their mess is part of the deal, along with vet bills and daily walkies.

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

Arguably, even more scary are the Facebook 'namers and shamers' who are posting pictures, videos and incredibly detailed descriptions of offenders.

Yet there are still owners out there who choose not to pick up after their dogs.

A little digging suggests dog poo fines are not top of the pile for councils.

In the past five years not a single fine for the offence was issued in South Kesteven.

When the council receives complaints about fouling in a particular area, neighbourhood officers will carry out patrols, speak to dog walkers, and check that they have something with them to put a poo into.

Officers can issue a £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) but only if they witness dog fouling and the owner walking away.

Cabinet member for waste services, Coun Mark Whittington (Con), described dog fouling as a 'difficult issue to tackle' because owners will pick up after their dogs if officers are in the area.

Five neighbourhood officers cover all 365 square miles of the district - including the towns of Stamford, Grantham, Bourne and Market Deeping.

They also deal with a range of other issues including noise, fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and environmental crimes, so the council says it "relies on dog owners doing the right thing".

Coun Whittington added: “Irresponsible dog owners who do not pick up after their animals are choosing to put the health of others at risk, quite apart from leaving pavements and open spaces in a disgusting state.

“It’s quite simple - bagged dog waste can be placed in litter bins or taken home and placed in the black residual bin.”

Similarly in Rutland, no fines have been given for 'illegal dog foulers' in the past five years.

The anti-social behaviour, crime and policing act came into force in 2014, which allows authorities to designate public spaces where certain activities are prohibited. Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) can be made to prevent persistent have a negative effect on the quality of life of those in the area, such as dog fouling.

Rutland County Council doesn’t have any PSPOs relating to dog fouling in Rutland.

Currently the council deals with any reports of dog fouling on a case-by-case, or poo-by-poo, basis.

The county's dog warden will carry out patrols and signs are up in hot spots.

'Any bin will do stickers’ aim to alert dog owners that general litter bins can be used for dog waste and pink chalk-based spray is circled around any fouling.

A spokesperson for Rutland County Council said: "This alerts pedestrians of the mess, raises awareness and also allows our operatives to identify and remove the waste as quickly as possible.

"It has proved to be very effective in problem areas.

"Our approach is more about education and working with the community than issuing hefty fines, which seems to be working if we look at our figures of reports of dog fouling.

"Numbers are relatively low - 19 reports in 2020, 12 reports in 2021 and just seven so far this year."

To report a dog poo go to www.gov.uk/report-dog-fouling

Should councils be more strict? Email smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk