Latest News

Flintshire to introduce ways to tackle dog control and dog fouling issues

Published: 28/02/2017

Flintshire County Council is working to tackle the ongoing problem of dog fouling in the County. This remains a high priority with Flintshire’s Environmental Enforcement Officers, supported by external contractors Kingdom, taking action against those who do not clear up after their dogs. Since July, more than 80 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued for dog fouling offences. To further improve responsible dog ownership, the Council’s Cabinet recently approved plans to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in Flintshire to not only tackle dog faeces problems. The new PSPO, gives the Council more powers to enforce other designated offences, such as the complete exclusion of dogs or a requirement to keep dogs on leads on certain classifications of open space. Public consultation is set to commence on these proposals in the coming months. Flintshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Bernie Attridge, said: “This is a really positive move towards dealing with dog fouling as well as tackling other issues, such as dogs running loose on children’s play areas, marked sports pitches or other formal recreation areas. Whilst we recognise the importance of exercising our pets, we need to strike a balance to ensure that other users of our open spaces can also do so safely.” To support the PSPO, additional enforcement measures were agreed, such as plain clothes enforcement, issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice if a person does not have on them a means to pick up their dog waste, dual use litter bins and spraying left dog faeces pink to highlight problem areas. If you know an area with a problem report it to Streetscene on 01352 701234 or via the Flintshire County Council App providing as much detail as possible. CAPTION: Ruth Cartwright and an Environmental Enforcement Officer with Cllrs Carol Ellis and Bernie Attridge