Only 10 council fines for dog mess in 2 years

A council has revealed it has handed out just 10 penalty notices for dog fouling offences in the last two years.

Only 7% of dog fouling reports in 2023 and 2024 resulted in a fine being issued by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC).

However, the number of complaints about dog fouling has gone down in the region year on year.

The authority has encouraged people to continue reporting dog fouling and other environmental crimes so it can deploy resources to the areas most in need.

The latest data was obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

In 2022, WNC received 85 reports of dog fouling in the area, decreasing to 84 throughout 2023 with 63 complaints in total in 2024.

Despite the reduced number of reports, the council did increase the number of fines it handed out, from three in 2023 to seven in the last calendar year.

The council could not confirm how many were paid or what the total amount collected from the penalties was, as it said it did not hold the data.

The three areas with the highest numbers of dog fouling reports in the region were Dallington and Spencer, Daventry West and Daventry East Ward.

In October 2023, WNC introduced stricter regulations which meant fines of up to £100 could be issued when there was "robust evidence" an offence has been committed.

Sally Burns, WNC's director of public health, said the authority had increased its visiablity in the county to deter fouling and issue fines.

She encouraged members of the public to contact the council and advise where they are needed most.

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.