Failure to crackdown on dog fouling

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The problem of dog fouling on the pavements of Alderley Edge is one that never goes away and it never ceases to amaze me that some dog owners can be so irresponsible.

In October 2011, Cheshire East Council vowed to get tough on those who do not pick up their dog's mess, saying it will "not be complacent" when it comes to tackling the problem of dog fouling and "will not hesitate to issue fixed penalty notices of £50 as part of tough action against irresponsible owners."

However, in the past twelve months Cheshire East Council has issued only eight Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling across the whole borough.

Two of these fixed penalty tickets were issued in the Wilmslow area, whilst none were issued in Alderley Edge.

Community wardens can issue on the spot fixed penalty notices of £50, which can rise to £1,000 if the offender fails to pay. However, in order to issue the fine, community wardens need to witness the dog fouling, or have strong evidence linking a dog owner to the offence, which makes the issuing of fines difficult.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said "The Community Wardens are tasked with visiting these two areas twice a week. A decision is made what days and at what times these visits are made. The lengths of these visits can vary as they have to collect stray dogs as well. Both areas get as much attention as anywhere else."

Tags:
Cheshire East Council, Dog Fouling
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Duncan Herald
Tuesday 9th April 2013 at 2:31 pm
Ever seen a community warden in A/E ?
Ann Millar-Mills
Tuesday 9th April 2013 at 4:21 pm
Many dog owners pick up their dog poo in plastic bags - unfortunately many of these plastic bags are left amongst the existing litter, by lampposts, in hedgerows - it is so annoying. Again nobody
does anything about it. Typical.
Philip Warne
Tuesday 9th April 2013 at 7:44 pm
Isn't it about time that DNA was used to Identify the dog and then it's owner could be prosecuted?
This is done in other Counties and Countries.