Zero tolerance on dog fouling (From This Is Lancashire)

Zero tolerance on dog fouling

3:00pm Friday 12th March 2010 in

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A crackdown on dog owners who allow their pets to foul public land has been launched by Bolton Council.

Dawn-to-dusk enforcement teams will target 48 of the borough’s dog-fouling hotspots and irresponsible owners who fail to clean up after their pet will be hit with a £75 on-the-spot fine.

In a bid to encourage people to pick up their dog’s mess, 7,000 dog bone-shaped bag holders, which can be clipped to leads or collars, will be given away.

Anyone who fails to pay the fine or continues to break the law could be dealt with by magistrates and face a fine of up to £1,000.

Cllr Sufrana Bashir-Ismail, Bolton Council’s Executive member for cleaner, greener, safer, said: “We will also be enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to those allowing their dogs to foul in public areas and encouraging residents to report any regular offenders in their areas.

“We hope to educate residents and encourage them to keep Bolton clean and take ownership of their street, their parks and their town.”

Since enforcement action started in January, 10 people have been issued fines — six for dog fouling, three for having a dog off a lead and one for having a dog in a children’s play area.

Council staff will be visiting locations around Bolton throughout March and April, including Bolton town centre, Tonge Park, Queens Park, Moss Bank Park and Leverhulme Park and handing out their dog bone-shaped bag holders, which people can use to cleanly dispose of their dog waste in any litter bin.

The holders, which contain a supply of bags, will also be available from The Bolton News office in Churchgate and the council’s One Stop Shop at the Town Hall.

Sarah Schofield, assistant director of environmental services, said: “We will also be posting special calling cards through the letterboxes of houses in the areas we target which let people know about the punishment people face if they don’t clean up after their dog and how to report incidents of dog fouling.”

The council’s giant dog mascot, K9, will be at Moses Gate Park tomorrow between 10am and 3pm to help launch the campaign.

Residents are being asked to take a stand against dog fouling in their area by reporting any offenders by phone or online at bolton.gov.uk/hatelitter, giving full descriptions of the owner, dog, times and locations.

Information is then used to guide enforcement patrols, who will focus on catching offenders allowing their dog to foul.

andrew.greaves@ theboltonnews.co.uk