Dog fouling offenders 'will be issued with fixed penalty notices'

Eleven were handed out to dog owners who had no licence, and eight to those who allowed their pet to stray for the same period.

Twenty-one were issued to people caught littering in the district.

The figures were made available to councillors attending a special meeting of the council last Wednesday convened to discuss the rise in dog fouling throughout the district.

DUP Magherafelt councillor Paul McLean who along with other councillors has been inundated with complaints from the general public about the state of footpaths in relation to dog fouling, said members had expressed deep disappointment at the lack of enforcement.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor McLean said it was acknowledged there were good processes in place to detect those that litter and don’t clean up after their pets.

“However, it was generally accepted that these simply were not delivering the results as both dog fouling and littering were on the increase,” he said.

Councillor McLean pointed out that while it’s important for the public to lobby their councillor about these issues, it was also important to raise it with the council’s Environmental Health Department.

He said officers of the council had agreed to bring back a proposal as to how they intend to address the lack of enforcement.

“In the meantime the public need to be clear that offenders will be issued with fixed penalty notices,” he added.

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