Report Dog Fouling!

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Dog fouling is a major concern for many people across the UK, and the problem is growing. It has been estimated that there are around 8 million dogs in the UK, and that these dogs produce over 1,000 tonnes of faeces each day. After a decade of the problem declining, the number of areas affected by dog mess is increasing once again, with almost one in five recreational areas reporting problems.

Fed up of dog mess on the pavements? Report it now and get action taken: click here to REPORT DOG FOULING

What does the law say about dog fouling?
It is against the law to allow a dog to foul in a public place and make no attempt to clean it up. The law says that it is the responsibility of the dog owner or the person of charge of the dog to clean up any dog foul left by their dog, and that being unaware that the dog has fouled or not having a suitable means of removing the faeces is not a reasonable excuse for failing to clean up after your dog. You therefore have a legal duty to clean up after your dog every time they foul in a public place. Only people who are registered blind do not have to clean up after their guide dogs.

The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 was repealed by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This act allows local authorities and communities, including town and parish councils, to create bylaws relating to dog mess and issue dog control orders against individual dog owners for offences including allowing their dog to foul in a public space. There are five different types:

  • Fouling of Land by Dogs Order – for failing to pick up dog faeces
  • The Dog on Lead Order – for failing to keep your dog on a lead
  • The Dog on Leads by Direction Order – for failing to put your dog on a lead under direction of an authorised officer
  • The Dogs Exclusion Order – for permitting a dog to enter land from which it is excluded
  • The Dogs (Specified Maximum) Order – for taking more than a specified number of dogs onto land
Councils can issue fixed penalty orders in relation to these dog control orders. This is usually between £50 and £80. If there is no local rate, the fixed penalty fine is £75. Serious cases can lead to a criminal prosecution in a Magistrates Court which carries a maximum penalty of £1000. If local authorities have not issued such dog control orders then the old laws of the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 apply.
For more information about dog fouling and the law, please visit this page on Keep Britain Tidy.

The role of local councils
Local councils have a duty to keep public areas such as parks, playgrounds and pavements clear of dog mess, as set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This means that, as the problem of dog fouling increases once again, local authorities have to spend millions of pounds of tax payers’ money which could be used to finance other essential frontline services cleaning up dog mess. Local communities are therefore suffering twice – firstly because of unsightly and hazardous dog mess in their public spaces, and then because they have to pay to have the problem cleaned up.

Further information from this article

click here to REPORT DOG FOULING