Dog owners who fail to pick up mess face £75 fines

DOG owners who fail to pick up after their pets in Weston-super-Mare are being warned they will be fined - as the council launches a crackdown on offenders.

Authority leaders say they have seen a surge in complaints about the level of dog mess in town on footpaths, open spaces and play areas.

And now they are planning to focus their efforts on catching – and fining – irresponsible owners who fail to clean up after their dogs.

Officers from the authority’s newly appointed Local Authority Support team will be tasked to focus on dog fouling – and will hand £75 fines to irresponsible owners.

Fines will also apply to anyone seen breaching orders on land where dogs are excluded or required to be kept on leads.

North Somerset Council executive member for neighbourhoods Councillor Mike Solomon said: “We will be adopting a zero tolerance approach.

“Anyone caught not clearing up after their dog, will be fined.

“We will be asking our Local Authority Support team to really focus on this issue going forward.”

Mr Solomon stressed that although the majority of dog owners were responsible, a minority continued to fail to pick up their pet’s mess.

Eventually there will be eight enforcement officers patrolling the streets of North Somerset tackling not only dog fouling but issues including littering and anti social behaviour.

The new contract, which runs for 12 months initially, began in April.