Views sought about proposed fines for dog fouling

People are being asked for their views about proposals to issue fines to dog owners who allow their animals to foul pavements and public amenity spaces without clearing up afterwards.

An eight-week consultation began this week into plans to introduce a ‘public spaces protection order’. It can be seen here.

The PSPO would enable Shropshire Council ‘s dog warden service to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £100.

Under the PSPO, dogs would also be excluded from play and sports areas and would be required to wear a lead on the public highway. Officers would also have the power to ask for a dog to be put on a lead where they aren’t under the control of their owner or are acting aggressively.

The consultation runs until 21 December [2023] and the findings will then be brought back to the council’s Cabinet for further consideration early next year.

As both public education and enforcement are required to encourage responsible dog ownership, if a PSPO is agreed an educational campaign would be run ahead of the new rules coming into effect.

Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said:

“An internal review last winter found an increasing number of complaints to the council about dog fouling, and concerns that we are not taking sufficient enforcement action.

“It was agreed that the council’s legislative powers be reviewed, and measures implemented to enable enforcement for the control of dogs and for addressing dog fouling – and a PSPO is the best way to do this.

“We want people to let us know what they think about these proposals and I encourage any individuals or groups with an interest in this issue to share their views.”

PSPOs create a framework that either replaces or updates existing public space restrictions such as alcohol Designated Public Place Orders and Dog Control Orders and permits local authorities to introduce new regulations.

The public consultation will seek the views of the public, and a range of stakeholders and key partners, to help ensure any concerns are understood in advance of a PSPO being introduced.

Further information

The proposal  is to implement a Public Spaces Protection Order for the prevention of dog fouling and the collection and disposal or dog waste by dog owners.

The prohibition would relate to:

• Allowing dog fouling in the public area.
• Failure to appropriately remove and dispose of dog waste if a dog has been allowed to foul.
• Dog exclusion from play areas, equipped and fenced sports areas:
• Dogs on leads by direction.
• Dogs on leads on the highway: There is an exemption to any exclusion requirement for registered assistance dogs.

Orders can be enforced by a police officer, a police community support officer, authorised council officers and employees of other delegated organisations.

A breach of the PSPO can be dealt with through the issuing of a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100, or a level 3 fine (max £1000) on prosecution.

In establishing a PSPO, appropriate signage must be displayed in accordance with the requirements of the Act on entry points to the public area and within the said area.