Council warn 'pick up after your pets' after recent prosecutions for dog fouling offences

City of Doncaster Council is reminding local dog owners to make sure they are picking up after their pets when out and about in public, following some recent prosecutions for fouling offences.

For context, Doncaster has a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) on dog control, which enables the council to enforce certain rules on responsible animal ownership. This measure was renewed earlier this month, after a public consultation showed strong support for its various prohibitions.

Among other things, it specifies where leads must be worn in the city and outlines which places dogs cannot be taken for safety reasons. Furthermore, the order also stipulates that the person in charge of a dog must remove its mess straight away if it defecates anywhere in public.

Neglecting to do so is a fineable offence, as is failing to produce a suitable means of picking up after your dog (such as a disposable bag) when asked to by a relevant council officer. Either offence could result in a fixed penalty notice of £100 being issued, with the potential for this to go even higher if it is not paid on time.

There have been two such cases of this being enforced in Doncaster lately. The first was when a resident was spotted not picking up after their dog in the Hexthorpe area. The patrolling council officer issued a £100 penalty to the culprit here to begin with. However, when the dog owner failed to pay this, the matter was subsequently taken to court, and they were hit with an increased cost of £306.04 (including court fines and legal charges).

Elsewhere, another recent case saw a dog owner being caught without sufficient means to pick up after their pet. Again, this member of the public neglected to pay their original fine and ended up with £306.04 to pay instead.

Speaking about these outcomes — and encouraging people to help keep neighbourhoods tidy by following the dog control rules — Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Safer Communities at City of Doncaster Council, said: “We recognise that the vast majority of dog owners in our city are courteous, responsible and pick up after their pets.

“However, we also know that there are those who choose to flout the rules, spoiling our neighbourhoods and beautiful outdoor spaces. Dog fouling is a disgusting offence, whether it takes the form of somebody not picking up after their animal or somebody not taking disposable bags to the bins and instead just leaving them piling up in plain sight.

“Make no mistake, this is antisocial behaviour and, as these recent court cases show, it’s something that we take very seriously here at the council. So, please if you are walking your dog anywhere in our city, make sure that you have means to pick up after it and that you take your bags to the bin once they’re filled. Together, we can ensure that Doncaster is an attractive, clean environment for everyone.”

Members of the public can report dog fouling so that appropriate action can be taken by heading to the relevant page on the council website.