Council gets tough on Dog Fouling

Date published: 12 February 2010

Irresponsible dog owners are being targeted by Rossendale Council as part of a campaign to reduce the amount of dog fouling in the borough.

Extra enforcement staff have been brought in to assist with the campaign and to help the Council's Area Officers to gain experience in issuing Fixed Penalty Notices.

The campaign will target known 'hotspots' for dog fouling - places where there have been numerous reports of persistent problems with people not cleaning up after their dogs.

Cllr. Peter Steen, Environment Portfolio Holder at Rossendale Council said: "Not clearing up after your dog is simply not acceptable. Dog fouling is dangerous to people's health, costly for the Council to clean up and the selfish people who are responsible spoil our parks and open spaces for everyone.

"Today we are sending out a clear signal to people who continue to let their dogs foul and don't clear up that they will not get away with it in the future. If we have to we will issue Fixed Penalty Notices.

"Although most dog owners are responsible there is a hard core of people who don't seem to get the message - perhaps if we hit them in the pocket they may start to take notice."

As a result of today's campaign the Council will have a team of 11 Area Managers and Officers who will have experience in issuing penalty notices, rather than the one Animal Warden who currently issues fines. Four of the local PCSOs have also been trained.

A further training session is taking place next week where Licensing and Planning Enforcement Officers, Environmental Health Officers and 2 further PCSOs are to be trained. This will bring the total number of people able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling in Rossendale to 27.

The hotspots being targeted include: Waterfoot Primary School, Thornfield Avenue, Booth Road, Hightown, Maden Rec, Stubbylee Park, Greenhill, Rochdale Road, Market Street Whitworth (through to Healey Dell), Victoria Park, Greenfield Memorial Gardens, Curven Edge, Helmshore Road, Peel Street, Sunnybank Street, Hillside Road, Sandown Road, the Pit Heads garage site in Piccadilly Street, Higher Lane (up to the Halo), Baldwins Buildings off Bank Street in Rawtenstall, Church Street, Stoneyholme, Unity Way, Loveclough Park and Whittaker Park.