Bagless dog walkers face £100 fines

● Councillor says people ‘disgusted’ at street dog waste

Dog walkers who fail to carry waste bags are being threatened with £100 onthe-spot fines by a Scottish council in an effort to crackdown on fouling.

Owners caught walking their dog in public without a disposal bag would receive the hefty penalty under new bylaws being considered by Fife Council.

The hardline enforcement policy has previously been applied by authorities in England, but would be a first north of the Border.

Dog walkers in Fife could face an on-the-spot £100 fine if they are caught without a waste bag.

Fife Council is threatening a crackdown after criticism that the authority has failed to tackle the problem.

New bylaws are being considered in an attempt to guarantee that pet owners have the means to clear up their dog’s mess.

The tactic has already been used by local authority areas south of the Border, where offenders who fail to pay a £100 penalty within seven days face prosecution and a possible £1,000 fine.

With only a very small proportion of complaints in Fife resulting in a financial punishment, Kirkcaldy area councillors have been asked if they would support an approach to legal services in relation to a waste bag bylaw.

The idea has been mooted by Kirkcaldy area committee convener Neil Crooks after figures revealed there were just three fines issued between April and September this year, even though 75 complaints were received.

Just three fines were issued in the previous six months when 132 complaints were made.

The same is true in Glenrothes, where no fines were issued despite 46 complaints between April and September. Only three fines were issued in Levenmouth after 131 reports were made.

“I think without exception people are disgusted and annoyed when they see dog poo lying in the street or in our parks and open spaces often not too far from a bin,” Councillor Crooks said.

“It seems obvious to me that anyone walking their dog has to have the means of picking up dog poo otherwise they are accepting that they find it OK for their dog to mess our open spaces and streets.

“If it was law that dog walkers had to have dog poo bags or similar like appears to be the case in England, then our wardens would have the right to ask, warn and fine people walking dogs without the means to pick up poo.

“I have had dogs for years and would welcome such a move.”

Opponents of bylaws in England have claimed some pet owners found without a bag and fined had already used a bag and disposed of it responsibly. Council safer communities team manager Dawn Jamieson said: “At present, issuing on-the-spot fines for dog owners not carrying poop scoop bags is not something we can enforce.”