Dog owners could face £100 fine if they forget poo bags
Dog owners across Sandwell could soon face a £100 fine if they forget to bring poo bags on walks.
Sandwell Council is looking to extend its powers to fine inconsiderate dog owners for failing to pick up their pet’s mess but is also looking to give itself extra powers to hand out further punishments to those not able to show they have a bag to clean it up.
The council can already fine dog owners £100 for failing to pick up their dog’s mess with a maximum penalty of £1,000 if the case went to court.
These powers would be extended to those dog owners unable to show they have a poo bag or other “receptacle” to clean it up.
The new public space protection orders (PSPOs) would also make it an offence to let dogs into children’s play areas.
The report, which will be discussed by Sandwell Council’s cabinet on January 17, said the order would make it “an offence for a person in charge of a dog to fail to pick up the dog’s faeces forthwith should it defecate whilst in their control, an offence for a person in charge of a dog to fail to be able to produce a receptacle to pick up dog faeces such as a dog poo bag, [and] an offence for a person in charge of a dog to allow a dog into an enclosed children’s play area [or] sports area.”
If the plans are approved by councillors, a ban on fires and BBQs in parks and other public spaces would also come into force with those ignoring the ban also facing fines.
There is already a borough-wide ban which gives powers to the council and police to tell people to stop drinking in public places and confiscate alcohol if they are concerned about anti-social behaviour.
Failing to do so could land offenders with a maximum fine of £500.
The public space protection orders last for three years before they have to be renewed. The council’s bans on dog fouling and street drinking came into force in 2017 and are up for renewal with a third order on BBQs and fires in public spaces set to be assessed by councillors.
The council said it wanted to bring in the new ban following a spate of fires on public land across Sandwell in 2022.
If approved, the PSPO would begin in March.
