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Council favours three more years of dog poo fines

Paul Moseley
BBC political reporter, Norfolk
Reporting fromOld Catton
Paul Moseley/BBC A woman and a man are each holding a small dog - possibly sausage dogs. Both dog owners have dark tops on, with Calum wearing a light green beanie-type hat. They are both wearing sunglasses and smiling.Paul Moseley/BBC
Mother and son Annette and Calum Deverell said they had both confronted people not clearing up after their dogs

Rules that give officials the power to hand out £100 fines for people who do not clean up after their dogs are set to stay in place for a further three years.

Broadland District Council brought in a public spaces protection order (PSPO) in 2022, which made it an offence for people not to pick up their pets' poo.

On Thursday, councillors recommended extending the order for a further three years, subject to a public consultation.

Walking with her dogs in Catton Park near Norwich, Annette Deverell backed the idea and said it was "just not nice" when people did not clear up poo.

"I have actually challenged somebody in this park for not picking it up and said 'Are you aware?' because sometimes people aren't looking and miss it, and we've been told to 'go away'."

Her son, Calum, said: "People should be a bit more vigilant of their pets."

"I'm always mindful about where my grandson is running and rolling in the grass"

Gemma Needham said she always looked out for dog mess to keep her daughter safe – and her own dog clean.

"I find it quite an issue," she said.

"It's frustrating if you find dog mess, because my dog rolls in it and it's really annoying."

Paul Moseley/BBC Paul Sorrenti is looking at the camera. He's wearing a green hoodie over a blue and purple top.Paul Moseley/BBC
Paul Sorrenti said that Catton Park sometimes "left a bit desired" when it came to dog fouling

Regular park visitor Paul Sorenti said he often saw poo on the grass. He back the tough rules but said: "I've never heard of it being implemented at all."

The council – run by a coalition of Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens – said that since the order had been introduced, it had received 103 reports from the public, but no fines had been issued.

Jan Davis, the Green councillor with the environment portfolio, said the low number of cases showed the PSPO had been effective in encouraging people to clean up after their dogs.

"We're keen to catch dog-fouling offenders, but often the difficulty is that we need a witness to an offence to provide the details," he added.

Members of the authority's environmental panel recommended keeping the PSPO in place, subject to a public consultation.

Once the consultation is complete, a meeting of the full council will have the final say on whether the order should be renewed for a further three years.

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