Dog Fouling

The government estimates that there are around 6.5 million dogs in the UK. Each day they produce hundreds of tonnes of dog mess. Much of this is left on footpaths and playing fields, at best it can cover shoes and clothes and at worst can lead to blindness due to an infection called Toxocaria Canis (children playing on grassland are particularly vulnerable to this disease).

We have designated land under The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996. The designated land includes roads, footpaths, school playing fields, sports fields and parks.

It is an offence for a dog owner not to clean up after their dog in these areas. Owners who do not do so can be prosecuted and fined up to £1000. It is no defence to claim ignorance of the dog’s actions.

Solutions for dog owners:

• If you have a garden, encourage your dog to ‘go’ there. You can then bury the mess or alternatively clean it up, bag it and bin it.
• If you walk your dog, always carry the means to clear up after it. A simple plastic bag will do the trick or you can obtain poop scoops cheaply from a pet shop. Keep a bag or poop scoop with your dog’s lead so you won’t forget to take it with you when you walk your pet.
• Special dog poop bags are available free from WDC one-stop shops.
• Every time your dog fouls "bag it and bin it" Use the special dog-waste bins provided by WDC or take the poop scoop home and dispose of the mess there. (We have already installed some 60 dog-waste bins in the area with more on the way.) Remember – rain won’t wash the problem away.
• Never let your dog out alone to "go to the loo" – apart from the mess, your unsupervised pet could cause a road accident, for which you could be held legally liable.
• It is every dog owner’s duty to clean up after their dog.

Penalties:

Our Dog Wardens are authorised to to issue £50 "on the spot" fines to offending dog owners. Over 30 have been issued so far.

Be a responsible dog owner. There are no excuses - fouling is unacceptable!

If you wish to make a complaint:

• We respond to complaints from people who have a dog fouling problem and try and resolve matters by educating rather than prosecuting.
• Please contact us with details of where the problem is occurring, how regularly, the most likely time to catch the offender and who the offender is, if you know.
• If we know the offender we will first send  them a warning letter informing them that we have received a complaint.
• The offender would be given advice and informed that if they continue to let their dog foul without picking up then they could be prosecuted.
• The complainants’ details are kept strictly confidential.

If we don’t know who the offender is then we can carry out patrols in the area, however it is often difficult to catch people. We may also arrange for "No Fouling" signs to be erected in the area to act as a deterrent.

Call 01386 565015 or you can use our digi tv system subject to having the right equipment.

Useful factsheets

You can download a factsheet about dog fouling here:

What you can expect from us

Click here to see how quickly we aim to deal with your enquiries

Further Information

If you would like to request some dog fouling signs for your area - or need more information please contact:

Environmental Protection Section, Environmental Services, Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcs. WR10 1PT

Telephone: 01386 565015 - between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday
Fax: 01386 561826
Email: environmental.health@wychavon.gov.uk