People in Sefton are being “driven mad” by “horrific” dog fouling on the borough’s streets as it is revealed that just eight fines were issued last year.
One resident, living in the Church Road area of Sefton, recently took to social media to complain about the blight on his local streets after coming home to find one dog owner had allowed their dog to foul in his driveway.
Posting in a local Facebook group, Jay Perry said: “Amount of people walking dogs on this road that don’t clean their dog s*** is a disgrace. If it’s in front of someone’s house pick it up!”
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The post led to responses from other residents fed up of the situation, including one person who said: “Gone are the days when notices were on lamp posts, pick it up or incur a fine. Problem was there was no one to actually instil a fine. Still isn’t.”
She added: “Makes you wonder what the homes of these people are like.”
Another resident said: “Don’t get why the council can’t put bins about.”
Speaking to the ECHO about the situation, Mr Perry said that he has often seen dozens of instances of dog fouling while out walking in the area and when confronted, the response from people was often “they don’t care.”
He said: “I think more bins along the road [are needed] and more of a threat of punishment. They know there is no consequences at the moment.”
A recent Freedom of Information request submitted by Green Party council candidate Neil Doolin and seen by the ECHO revealed that only eight fines had been issued in Sefton for the whole of 2022 for dog fouling.
Mr Doolin told the ECHO the situation “just makes people angry and is driving people mad” and called on Sefton Council to up its prosecution rates for dog fouling.
Referring to a public space protection order in place which grants powers of enforcement to officers to issue fines, Mr Doolin said: “Exactly where have all of these staff been patrolling in Sefton to have just eight fines in the borough for a whole year?”
He added: “There’s a sense that it’s being allowed to happen so that people who are flaunting the laws not being responsible in terms of dealing with their own dogs and dog poo kind of know that nothing will happen to them.”
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “As a local authority we want our residents and visitors to the borough to enjoy walking their pets here. All we ask in return is for them to clear up after their pets and abide by the Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).
“The majority of dog owners do act responsibly, pick up after their dog and place the bags in one of the numerous public bins across the borough. This ensures that dogs and humans can utilise these spaces in harmony while promoting a cleaner and greener environment which everyone can enjoy. People do not have to use a dedicated dog waste bin, they can use any public waste bin.”
The spokesperson continued: “We recognise the negative impact of dog fouling and have Enforcement Officers patrolling the Borough every day, monitoring compliance with the Dog Control PSPO and serving Fixed Penalty Notices for offences observed. Our Cleansing Services also continue to remove dog fouling during street sweeping operations.”
The spokesperson said that under the remit of the Dog Control PCSO a total of 226 fines were issued in 2022. The protection order can include fines for breaching restrictions on dogs entering certain areas, being kept on leads in designated spaces or too many dogs being walked by one person – as well as for allowing dogs to foul.
The spokesperson said: “Anyone caught failing to comply will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £75”.
The spokesperson continued: “We use reports from the public to help target enforcement and cleansing activity, so if you notice dog fouling, you can report it by visiting: www.sefton.gov.uk/dogs.
“We urge all dog owners to familiarise themselves with their responsibilities under the Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which can be found on the Council’s website at www.sefton.gov.uk/dogs.”
Mr Doolin will be standing in the Church ward at next month’s Sefton Council elections. He will be up against Veronica Webster (Labour), Graham Campbell (Conservatives) and John Bellis (Freedom Alliance).
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