Under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, any person who permits a dog that is in their charge to foul any area to which the public has access is committing an offence. The local authority are responsible for monitoring dog fouling and for taking offenders to court.
What happens if my dog fouls in a public place?
We encourage all dog owners to clean up after their dog has fouled in a public place, as dog fouling is unpleasant and poses a public health risk. If your dog fouls in a public place and you do not clean it up and you will be breaking a Public Spaces Protection Order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Reporting Dog Fouling
If you witness someone letting their dog foul without cleaning it up afterwards in a public place, you should report this to the dog warden with as much information as possible, such as:
- Time/date/location of incident
- Frequency of offence if it happens regularly
- Description/breed of dog
- Descriptions of the offender
- A photo of the dog/incident is useful to identify the dog (but can not be used as evidence)
- Your name/address/phone number
- Name/address of offender if known.
It is difficult to catch offenders without the above information and an authorised officer usually needs to witness the offence being committed before a fixed penalty notice can be issued. If you can not provide the above information, we can still carry out patrols in your area and provide signage, but the chance of catching the offender is much smaller.
Click here to report dog fouling on the East Northants Council website »
