Call for publicity after poo bag fine
A DOG owner whose wife was fined £100 for not having dog poo bags on her in a Bridgend park while walking their Jack Russell has criticised what he claims is a lack of publicity around the new enforcement measures.
Neil French, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a mobility scooter, was with his wife and their dog Benji in Newbridge Fields last week when he left them to use the toilet, arranging to meet back at the car shortly afterwards.
The 36-year-old from Brackla said the couple were responsible dog owners, having already picked up Benji’s mess, using a poo bag his wife had in her pocket and placing it in the bin.
But the new Bridgend County Borough Council policy means dog owners who are not able to show they have poo bags with them when asked by enforcement officers will be fined.
In June the council appointed 3GS, a private company, on an initial 12-month period to act as its enforcement partner and patrol problem spots across the county.
Mr French said: “I had extra poo bags in the basket of my mobility scooter but due to my disability which causes me to need the toilet urgently I had shot off quickly to the leisure centre.
“My wife went to wash the dog off in one of the streams before putting him in the car as he had rolled in a bit of poo when two enforcement officers approached and asked her about having poo bags.
“She suffers from anxiety, which they weren’t to know, and she said they were nice about it but because of everything and the fact they dressed a bit like police officers she didn’t say I had gone to the toilet and I had extra poo bags in my basket.
“She told them she had used the ones in her pocket to pick up the mess from our dog earlier in the walk but they gave her a fixed penalty notice for not having any bags on her.
“When she then came back to the car to meet me she was in tears over the experience.”
He added: “While I don’t disagree with the need for the new policy – on the day in question I had to swerve in and out of dog poo that had been left on the path – I do disagree with the zerotolerance attitude when it isn’t widely publicised.
“There are no signs in the park and I could find just one line on their website after clicking on a PDF file at the bottom of a page.
“How can you establish a zero-tolerance policy if people aren’t aware if they’re committing an offence? Surely the offences should be clearly stated somewhere.”
A BCBC spokesman said: “Both the 2018 consultation into setting up public space protection orders and their subsequent launch in 2019 were extensively publicised alongside related news such as the installation of 17 stations offering free dog waste bags and the provision of more than 100 additional litter bins across the county.
“The PSPOs require dog owners to carry bags, pick up after their pets, dispose of their waste in a responsible manner, and place dogs on leads when requested to do so by an authorised officer, police officer, or police community support officer.”
3GS has been approached for comment.