Only three fixed penalty notices for dog fouling in Mid and East Antrim

Mid and East Antrim residents will be encouraged to report incidents of dog fouling after just three fixed penalty notices were issued during 2019/20.
Pet owners are urged to join the Green Dog Walkers scheme.Pet owners are urged to join the Green Dog Walkers scheme.
Pet owners are urged to join the Green Dog Walkers scheme.

The council says it is “reliant on members of the public to submit details of any dog fouling incidents they witness”.

The local authority says this will be followed by “targeted patrols to catch offenders and enforcement action”.

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A report to the council’s Direct Services Committee said: “Members of the public are encouraged to provide details, using the reportable app and to keep reporting it if they see repeat offending.”

The council is also planning to repeat its ‘Dark Nights No Excuse’ campaign again this autumn and winter which saw a decrease in dog fouling last year.

Dog fouling complaints dropped from 195 in 2018/19 to 111 during 2019/20.

However, it is acknowledged “dog fouling is still an issue in the borough and remains a priority issue for council”.

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Members of the Green Dog Walkers scheme which encourages responsible pet ownership have risen from 512 in April 2019 to 1,022 by April 2020.

Dog owners support the scheme by signing a pledge to clean up after their pets and encourage others to do the same (read here).

The council says the campaign is “not anti-dog”.

According to the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Cleaner Neighbourhoods Report, in a cleansing survey of 100 streets in Mid and East Antrim, just five were found to have dog fouling present between July and September last year compared to 11 during a previous period.

The council has stated enforcement officers will “continue to patrol” and will be issuing fixed penalty notices of £80 although patrols have been described as “random”.

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Nine fixed penalty notices for dog fouling were issued by Antrim and Newtownabbey during 2019/20, one in Causeway Coast and Glens and 59 in Belfast. Ards and North Down Borough Council issued 170.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter.

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