Rules banning dogs being let off lead in Doncaster public spaces to continue

Cabinet members on Doncaster Council are expected to rubber-stamp proposals to extend a Public Space Protection Order setting out enforcement rules on fouling and pets who cause alarm and distress.

Other rules include enforcement officers fining people for not picking up mess, dogs banned from fenced playgrounds and asking walkers to produce poo bags on request risking a fine if they can’t.

Council bosses behind the rules also said that ‘being unaware of defecation’ - whether by reason of not being in the vicinity or otherwise - or not having a device for or other suitable means of removing the - faeces shall ‘not be a reasonable excuse’ for failing to remove the mess.

The rules have been criticised in part by the Dogs Trust who said exclusion zones for canines ‘should be kept to a minimum’.

Residents and groups overwhelmingly backed proposals for cracking down on dog mess as figures show 93 people were fined for not picking up after their pet over the last three years.

Many people urged the council to install more dog bins but officers said this would have to be balanced with resources tasked with emptying them.

A spokesman for the Dogs Trust said: “We feel that exclusion zones should be kept to a minimum, and that excluding dogs from all sports pitches for long stretches of the year is unnecessary.

“In some cases sports pitches may account for a large part of the open space available in a public park, and therefore excluding dogs could significantly reduce available dog walking space for owners.

“We would urge the Council to consider focusing its efforts on reducing dog fouling in these areas, rather than excluding dogs entirely, with adequate provision of bins and provision of free disposal bags."

Joanne Evans, stronger communities and families manager at DMBC, said: “(This PSPO) is aimed at ultimately providing enough education to reduce the impact of dog fouling and control, but also targeted enforcement to ensure dog owners/handlers are clear on the message that irresponsible behaviour will not be tolerated by the local authority and the wider community.”

THE RULES IN FULL:

- If a dog defecates at any time on land to which this order applies, a person who is in charge of the dog at the time must remove the faeces from the land

- A person in charge of a dog on the land below must keep the dog on a lead in -all cemeteries and churchyards, including green burial areas; all footpaths around lakes and ponds; all sports grounds, fields, parks, and pitches, which are maintained by the local authority and are when in use for officiated sporting matches.

- A person in charge of a dog must not take it into, or keep it within a specified or signed area - this includes fenced/enclosed children’s play area and where there is a sign at its entrance.

- A person in charge of a dog on land to which this order applies must have an produce on request the appropriate means to pick up dog faeces deposited by that dog