Call to toughen up rules on dog mess

NEW plans to tackle dog fouling in Bridgend don’t go far enough, a councillor has said.

Proposals being considered by Bridgend County Borough Council would make it an offence for dog owners to exercise their dog without having poo bags or another means of picking up dog mess with them.

It would also be an offence for the person in charge of the dog to fail to remove faeces immediately from a public place.

Additionally, it would be an offence for dog walkers to fail to put their dog on a lead when requested to do so by an authorised officer.

Under the proposals, dog walkers would be fined £100 if they did not comply or be taken to court and given a fine of up to £1,000.

The enforcement would be carried out by a team of external contractors, the local authority says, who would recover their costs from revenue from fines.

A public consultation will first take place on the plans, which involve making all public places in the county subject to a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

The council says it wants to crack down on the “irresponsible behaviour” by a “small minority of dog owners”.

But Councillor Philip White, Cabinet member for social services, said the measures did not go far enough.

He said: “For me the problem is how dog owners dispose of dog mess once picking it up. I see them chucking it in trees and bushes and leaving it on the side of the road.

“How can we stop dog mess littering? I’d like something with a bit more teeth in the order.”