A woman has been made to pay £387.52 after being taken to court for failing to pick up her dog's mess. Enforcement officers from Neath Port Talbot Council saw a small, white dog defecate on grass in Banwen village in Neath Port Talbot last August - but there was no effort from anyone to clear the mess.
After watching the dog return home, the officers approached the dog's owner, Stacey Richards, of Roman Road, and issued her with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £40 for not picking up after her dog.
But despite being granted extra time to pay the notice and being sent two reminders to do so, Richards, 37, failed to pay the £40 - so the council decided to prosecute. Later, appearing at Swansea Magistrates' Court on March 23, 2023, Richards admitted the offence and was ordered to pay out the £40 fine she owed, a £16 victim surcharge and court costs of £331.52.
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A statement from Neath Port Talbot Council explained what happened. "The court heard the incident happened on August 22nd, 2022, when the dog was seen by the enforcement officers fouling an area of grass next to a lane at Roman Road. The dog was then seen to go into the rear garden of a property in Roman Road, entering via a space below a fence," the statement read.
"Miss Richards was spoken to at the property by the officers and admitted being the owner of the dog. She was then issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. Despite being given extra time to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice, and having received two reminder letters, no payment was received from Miss Richards, so a decision was taken to prosecute."
Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet member for street scene, Cllr Scott Jones added: "Enforcement is key to tackling the minority of dog-owners who blight the environment and risk public health and this case is a reminder of the consequences of not picking up after pets."
The council added that around 100 cases of toxocariasis, an infection transmitted from animals to humans via parasitic worms in animals' excrement, are diagnosed each year in the UK and that local authorities across the UK receive approximately 226,000 complaints about dog fouling every year.
"The cost to British taxpayers of clearing up after dogs is estimated to be around £2.3 million per year," the council added.
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