Dudley Council calls foul over irresponsible dog owners
Dog owners in Dudley borough have been warned to clean up after their four legged friends or get fined.
Surveillance is being carried out in dog fouling hot spot areas across the borough in a bid to catch and prosecute irresponsible pet owners who don't clean up after them.
Council officers are visiting parks and open spaces with high numbers of reports of dog mess.
The aim is to catch the culprits in the act and issue a £100 fixed penalty notice.
As part of the crackdown, officers are also handing out dog mess bags to dog walkers to remind them they need to clean up after their pets.
Over the past 12 months the council has issued 17 fixed penalty notices.
The council receives reports of dog fouling across the borough including parks, open spaces and residential areas.
Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for highways and environment, said: "People who fail to clean up after their pets not only break the law, they leave our borough looking a mess.
"We get lots of complaints but it is really hard to catch people so we have to constantly think of new ways of tackling this issue. We will be carrying out some checks in hotspot areas where we know there has been a problem.
"That’s a mixture of handing out fines as well as educating people with some advice and even giving them a bag if they need it
"But if you are the type of person who doesn’t care and wants other people to foot the bill for cleaning up, we’re going to be hitting you in the pocket.
