Fouling fine figures are embarrassing (From This Is Cheshire)

Fouling fine figures are embarrassing

3:40pm Thursday 19th March 2009 in News By Joanna Lean

WARRINGTON Borough Council has issued only four fixed penalty notices for dog fouling in the three years since setting up a dedicated unit, it has been revealed.

The environmental enforcement unit was given powers in 2006 to issue £50 on-the-spot fines to anyone who fails to clean up after their dog in a public place.

Since then the unit has given out four fines for dog fouling, a freedom of information request by the Warrington Guardian has revealed.

The figures also showed the unit had given out 67 fines for littering.

Last month Orford councillor Mike Hannon (LAB) demanded the council takes a stronger line on dog fouling and begin issuing fines and prosecutions.

After the figures were revealed he said: “Four in three years, just over one a year, is a poor state of affairs. I’d be embarrassed to claim that statistic.”

The 71 fines have made the council £3,450 in three years, not including fines from court proceedings.

Clr Hannon said: “I am a great believer in taking pride in our town and I do take pride, but to see unsightly hedgerows and litter and dog mess everywhere does nothing for civic pride.”

Last year the council launched a campaign to clean up Warrington’s parks, publishing graphic posters showing an amateur rugby player with a diseased eye caused by dog faeces.

It can cause toxocariasis, a serious eye infection that can lead to blindness, which is contracted by swallowing infected dog faeces or getting it in the eyes.

Alan Fitzpatrick, street scene manager for the council, said: “Our enforcement team is responsible for monitoring all environmental crimes such as fly-tipping and illegal waste carrying.

“With that in mind we tend to target and campaign on specific issues. Last year, for example, we concentrated on fly tipping and now have halved the rates of this problem in the town.

“Dog fouling is not a massive problem in the town but admittedly there are pockets of high offences and we will be looking to address this in the coming weeks and months.

“For a while now we have been disseminating information into the community in the form of leaflets, stickers and via neighbourhood wardens about the health dangers and fines attached to this offence.

“Soon we will begin high profile patrols of the most affected areas.”

Keep Britain Tidy said that last year there were 45,000 fines issued for littering in the UK, but also that some councils had not prosecuted anybody.

Dog fouling problems can be reported to Warrington Borough Council on 443000.