Stratford District Council has adopted the latest law on dog fouling. All dog walkers must now pick up the mess if their dog fouls pavements, footpaths, sports fields and play areas. If they fail to do so they will face either a £75 fixed penalty charge or prosecution which could result in a fine of up to £1000.
New signs are being erected around the district and it is intended that the law will be introduced slowly, with warning letters being sent to offenders in April and May. From June onwards, however, it is the Councils intention to fine people whenever possible.
The scheme will be operated by Sophie Peacock, the Councils Dog Warden who says, Although most dog owners recognise their responsibilities there is a significant minority who do not seem to understand. Dog mess, apart from being very unpleasant, can cause serious disease particularly in children. We are imploring dog owners to make sure that they always take a bag with them and that they pick up their dogs mess. They do not have to find a dog bin, they can either put it in a normal litter bin or take it home and put it in their household waste bin.
We are asking people to report offenders to us, and where possible to complete witness statements so that we can issue Fixed Penalty Notices, if we work together we can clean this problem from our environment. Make no mistake, if we have to serve notices, we will do.
The Parish of Bidford-on-Avon has gone one step further and has decided to adopt these powers locally so that they can ensure that their village is amongst the cleanest.
Elisabeth Uggerlose, Clerk to the Parish Council says, We recognised that there is only one Dog Warden for the whole of the Stratford district and we wanted to make sure that the new law is to be well supported in our Parish. We have, therefore, adopted these powers locally and we will be using our local PCSOs to enforce them. We will be working closely with the District Council to keep our Parish free from this mess.
The Order can be viewed in any of the District Council offices or on the website - Dog Warden Service . There are only a few exceptions to the new rule and these can be found on the District Councils website.
