Councillor wants hike in dog fouling penalties

Councillor wants hike in dog fouling penalties

5 August 2020

A FRESH appeal has been issued to Newry, Mourne and Down Council to take the lead on finally cracking the district’s dog fouling problem.

The local authority is being urged to follow the example of councils on both sides of the border who have come up with innovative ways of addressing an issue which poses a particular problem to children’s health.

Donegal County Council dishes out a €3,000 fine to anyone who allows their dog to use public areas as open air toilet, while in the Craigavon area, the local authority erected signs warning the lawbreakers that they would be caught on CCTV.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council only has one enforcement officer, while neighbouring local authorities have several which results in a higher number of fixed penalty notices being issued to offenders.

Several politicians have described the difference in the number of notices handed out in other areas compared to Down District as “shocking” and are keen for the local authority to do more to stop dog fouling.

Rowallane councillor, Billy Walker, believes the number of enforcement notices issued locally are smaller as the council’s sole enforcement officer simply cannot be everywhere.

“In addition to dog fouling, we also have problems with litter and fly-tipping, with the low number of prosecutions boiling down to the number of available staff catch offenders,” he said.

Between 2017 and 2020 the number of fixed penalty notices for dog fouling across the district was 25, with only one recorded for 20/21, mainly due to Covid-19.

Cllr Walker also hopes that the impact of coronavirus on the local council’s finances will not be a barrier to recruiting more enforcement staff.

“The bottom line is that we need to do more to address dog fouling and other issues of litter and fly-tipping. I would contend that there is not one single part of the district not affected by dog fouling, but the animals are not responsible. Their owners are,” he declared.

“Other councils are doing more to tackle the problem as they have more staff. The fine in Donegal is €3,000 but in councils across the province it is £80. The time has come to increase this.”

Cllr Walker is keen for existing legislation governing dog fouling to be beefed up so a strong deterrent is in place, one that he hopes will make dog owners think twice about allowing their pets to foul in public.

He said every one of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s 41 councillors is aware of dog fouling issues in their respective area, insisting that the low number of fines dished out to dog owners is in no way a reflection of the local authority’s enforcement officer’s work.

“This officer does an excellent job but cannot police the district alone,” declared Cllr Walker. “He is fighting a losing battle as many incidents take place either early in the morning or last thing at night. Over many months, various councillors have tabled motions in relation to dog fouling and while they have all been passed unanimously, the problem is as bad as ever.

“We need to get on top of the issue and we must win this battle. We need affirmative action and I believe that educating people is a key part of that. I am also an advocate of ‘naming and shaming’ those fined for not cleaning up after their pets.”

Cllr Walker said one of the most recent suggestions was using DNA collected from dog faeces to trace the owner of the animal allowed to foul in public areas, with the suggestion currently being examined by local authority officials.

The Rowallane political said “all options” need to be examined, including the provision of more signs to encourage people to clean up after their pets. He said while the vast majority of dog owners to this, there is a small hardcore who don’t, ‘thumbing their nose at the law”.

Cllr Walker said he is keen for more to be done to tackle the litter and fly-tipping issues, revealing that between 2017 and 2020, just seven enforcement notices were issued. However, almost 185 notices were issued to litter louts over the same period.

He added: “On a recent visit to Killybegs I did not see one piece of paper on the ground; the place was spotless and there was a noticeable absence of dog dirt. Perhaps the threat of a huge fine is a motivating factor and maybe it is time Newry, Mourne and Down Council adopted a much tougher approach to all enforcement issues. We need to get on top of the problem.”