Pet owners could face £100 fines for dog fouling

A six-week consultation has opened asking people whether dog owners should face £100 fines for failing to clean up after their pets in west Oxfordshire.

The district council said it wants to introduce Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) so it can have tougher powers to tackle dog fouling which it said is becoming a growing issue.

"It spoils our parks, footpaths and open spaces, and can pose a health risk, particularly for children," it said.

If approved, dog walkers would also have to carry poo bags whenever they are out with their pets.

It is currently already an offence to not pick up after your dog but PSPOs make it a legal requirement as well as having to prove you have poo bags if asked by council officials.

Owners face £100 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), which can rise to £1,000 if prosecuted.

Bampton and Clanfield councillor Alistair Wray said: "This initiative is to take existing legislation and apply it across the district.

"We have an environmental protection team and we have recruited a new officer for environmental crime."

He is also encouraging local residents to speak up.

"We rely very much on people reporting particular areas that are causing concern…you can go the West Oxfordshire District Council website and there's a form you can complete with a location and with that we can patrol those areas more intensively," Wray said.

There will be exceptions to the fines for people with disabilities that impact mobility or for those who are registered blind.

Richard Hanna, from Carterton, said he supports the proposals.

"Dog owners should be responsible for what their dog produces, we have a lovely park here and it's always upsetting if you have to walk through dog mess," he said.

"It's also the bags in the trees and things like that which is unsightly."

John Cannon, also from Carterton, thinks the measures do not go far enough.

"For the council to actually scare people they're going to need lots of people on patrol…I think the off chance that there might be someone there to fine you won't be enough to put people off leaving dog poo behind if they're not willing to pick it up anyway," he said.

The consultation ends on 4 September.