Fouling offences have reached an all time high of £25,000 as fines are issued to irresponsible dog owners in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council has issued more than 250 fixed penalty notices of £100 since March 2021.
The local council has continued its crackdown on irresponsible dog owners and some owners have faced court action due to failure to pay the £100 fine which has resulted in significantly higher fines.
As well as dog fouling notices in February the enforcement teams issued 17 £100 fixed penalty notices to irresponsible dog owners who were caught breaching the rules of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).
The PSPO rules state:
- Dog owners MUST clean up their dogs’ mess immediately and dispose of it properly.
- Dog owners MUST carry means to pick up dog mess (i.e. bags) at all times.
- Dog owners MUST follow a direction from an authorised officer to put a dog on a lead.
- Dogs are BANNED from all schools, children’s play areas and marked sports pitches maintained by the Council.
- Dogs MUST be kept on a lead at all times in Council maintained cemeteries.
Some owners who did not pay their fines faced court action which resulted in fines of up to £374, which the council said was reinvested into frontline services.
The £25,000 annual total is from fixed penalty notices only and does not include additional court fines, so the figure is thought to be much higher.
However the message from the council is that dog fouling is a big concern within Rhondda Cynon Taf particularly on sports fields.
Some owners have been fined at the recreation grounds in Talbot Green, Mount Pleasant Park in Beddau and Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd for failing to pick up after their dogs.
Despite some owners picking up dog poo some will inevitably remain on the grass and soil which could also have serious life-changing health consequences.
In February Rhondda Cynon Taf council announced an additional £40,000 to be spent on dog waste bins and is improving the availability of ‘doggy’ bags in a bid to help irresponsible dog owners.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, cabinet member for environment, leisure & heritage services, said: “We’re committed to tackling irresponsible dog owners and have invested over £40,000 in improving facilities across RCT. There are over 1500 red dog bins in RCT in key hot spots/known dog walking routes, so there is no excuse not to bag it and bin it!”
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