Failing to clear up after your dog could cost you £1,000

DOG walkers who fail to carry bags to clear up mess could face hefty fines and even end up in court under draconian council plans, it emerged yesterday.

Under the proposals, council workers or police officers could ask anyone walking their pet in a public park or footpath whether they have the means to collect up its muck.

If not, owners would be issued with an on-the-spot £100 fine, but failure to pay could land them in court, facing a criminal record and a £1,000 penalty.

Daventry District Council in Northamptonshire was the first to introduce on the spot fines for owners who fail to carry a bag for their pet’s waste in April 2016, and other councils then followed.

But Manchester City Council is the latest – and largest – local authority to propose criminalising owners, under Asbo- style Public Space Protection Orders. PSPOs will cover dog fouling for the first time next month after the Government announced existing dog control orders would be scrapped. Councillor Nigel Murphy, of Manches-

‘Deter problem owners’

ter City Council, said: ‘We want to make it clear dog owners who lack the common decency to clean up after their pets will not be tolerated.

‘We think this proposed approach will boost our efforts to deter problem owners, but we’re keen to ask residents if they support it.’ Blind and deaf owners would be exempt from the rules.

Canterbury Council in Kent has also announced plans for a similar crackdown and wants to fine dog owners £80 each if they are caught without at least two waste bags.

A spokesman said: ‘As a rule of thumb, our enforcement officers would expect responsible dog owners to carry at least two bags that can be used to dispose of dog excrement.’

There are around 8.5 million dogs in the UK, with almost as many owners now at risk of breaking the law.

Lee Paris, campaigns officer for animal charity the Dogs Trust, said the group was ‘deeply concerned’ about fining dog owners who failed to carry at least two poo bags.

Some officials are also considering a ban on people walking more than four dogs at one time on public land.