Fines for dog owners who don't carry poo bags

Dog owners in Northamptonshire will now face a £100 fine if they don't have a poo bag - whether or not their pet actually makes a mess.

In an effort to tackle irresponsible owners who fail to clear up after their animals, Daventry District Council is introducing a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), giving its enforcement officers broader powers.

As of 1st December, dog walkers will be required to carry a poo bag or other means of clearing up after their pet - or risk a £100 fine. However, the council says it plans to give people a month's grace while it publicises the change, and will only get tough in January next year.

The move has been criticised by some for failing to take account o0f the fact that dog owners may be stopped after they've already used up their supply of bags.

But, says councillor Mike Warren, people will just have to take more than they think they will need.

"We will be advising them to make sure they have extra poop bags with them at all times to ensure they have the means to pick up, regardless of how long they've been out and about with their pet," he says.

"These new powers are not intended to penalise the many responsible dog owners in our district, who should be assured that our officers will be taking a common-sense approach on their patrols. It's not unreasonable though, for example, to expect someone who has just arrived at a venue to walk their dog to be carrying poop bags."
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This isn't the first tactic Daventry's tried: one initiative saw volunteers spray-painting dog mess in bright colours to try and shock irresponsible owners into cleaning up after their pets.

Earlier this year, the council also launched a 'We're Watching You' campaign, featuring glow-in-the-dark posters to target night-time offenders.

UK dogs are believed to produce as much as 1,000 tonnes of poo a day, and frustrated authorities have tried a number of measures to make sure it goes where it should.

British Waterways, for example, decorated a tree with dozens of poo-filled plastic bags, to highlight the problem of owners throwing poo into the hedge.

And two years ago, Brunete, a small Spanish town, started collecting poo left behind by irresponsible owners. By casually asking the name of the dog, it was possible to identify owners though the town hall pet database - and return the poo, labelled 'lost property'.

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Rewards for dog mess whistleblowers

Japanese town's dog tax to pay for poo

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