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| Dog walkers who don't clean up their pet's mess to face £100 fine | |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| Under a new law designed to tackle Britain's dog poo problem, owners caught without a poop scooping bag will be fined £100. | Under a new law designed to tackle Britain's dog poo problem, owners caught without a poop scooping bag will be fined £100. |
| People who fail to pay the fine within a week could be prosecuted in a magistrates' court, with their fine raising to up to £1,000. | People who fail to pay the fine within a week could be prosecuted in a magistrates' court, with their fine raising to up to £1,000. |
| The new rules, introduced as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act passed last year, will be enforced by dog wardens or other council officials. | The new rules, introduced as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act passed last year, will be enforced by dog wardens or other council officials. |
| Frequent offenders can already be fined, but the law's latest language includes people guilty of "failing to have the means to pick up after [their] dog". | Frequent offenders can already be fined, but the law's latest language includes people guilty of "failing to have the means to pick up after [their] dog". |
| Daventry in Northamptonshire is set to become the first town in the country to adopt the measure, and many other areas are expected to soon follow suit. | Daventry in Northamptonshire is set to become the first town in the country to adopt the measure, and many other areas are expected to soon follow suit. |
| The Daventry council receives 120 formal complaints a year pertaining to dog poop in public places, a statistic that environmental health manager Paul Knight said was "the tip of the iceberg". | The Daventry council receives 120 formal complaints a year pertaining to dog poop in public places, a statistic that environmental health manager Paul Knight said was "the tip of the iceberg". |
| He told the Daily Mail: "We have a number of hotspot areas. They tend to be quieter places where people are not seen or where they walk their dogs at night. | He told the Daily Mail: "We have a number of hotspot areas. They tend to be quieter places where people are not seen or where they walk their dogs at night. |
| "We are anxious to tackle the problem on footpaths near schools, and if we get public support our enforcement officers will have the confidence to take action against culprits." | "We are anxious to tackle the problem on footpaths near schools, and if we get public support our enforcement officers will have the confidence to take action against culprits." |
| The council, which also serves 80 surrounding villages, will enforce the measure progressively, and has first asked officers to talk with dog owners and even distribute poop scooping bags. | The council, which also serves 80 surrounding villages, will enforce the measure progressively, and has first asked officers to talk with dog owners and even distribute poop scooping bags. |
| "But if a dog warden has advised the same person a number of times and they are still leaving dog mess, then they would get a fixed-penalty notice that will have to be paid within seven days," said Mr Knight. | "But if a dog warden has advised the same person a number of times and they are still leaving dog mess, then they would get a fixed-penalty notice that will have to be paid within seven days," said Mr Knight. |
| There's been a bit of resistance from dog owners' groups, with a spokesperson for the Dogs Trust saying: "We'd rather see time and resources spent on tackling irresponsible dog owners who are behaving in an anti-social way." | There's been a bit of resistance from dog owners' groups, with a spokesperson for the Dogs Trust saying: "We'd rather see time and resources spent on tackling irresponsible dog owners who are behaving in an anti-social way." |