Dog owners in Worcester are being reminded that they face being fined for failing to pick up after their pet in public spaces across the city.
Anybody in charge of a dog in Worcester is legally required to remove their pet’s mess. Failure to do so could lead to prosecution.
Punishments can include a fixed penalty notice of £100 or a maximum fine of £1,000.
Penalty notices can be handed out by police officers, community support officers, or authorised Council enforcement staff.
Worcester City Council is running an Enforcement Week from Monday 3 March to Friday 7 March, aimed at tackling the problem of dog fouling in the city.
Additional signage will be put up and Council staff will be marking around dog fouling on Worcester streets with chalk spray.
Staff will then clean the mess, and the chalk will leave a footprint of where fouling was left. The chalk is designed to gradually disappear or will be washed away afterwards.
A Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order is in place for the whole of Worcester, providing provisions aimed at maintaining public safety and hygiene.
This includes designated “dog exclusion areas”, such as certain playgrounds, sports fields, or other restricted spaces within the city.
Additionally, the order limits the number of dogs a single person can supervise at any one time to four.
Councillor Zoe Cookson, Chair of the Worcester City Council’s Environment Committee, said: “We know that the majority of dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pet.
“The Protection Order provides tough powers to target the minority of dog owners who still view clearing up after their dog as optional.
“Cleaning up after your pet is crucial in keeping our community clean and tidy.
“If there are no bins nearby, please take your dog’s waste home and dispose of it responsibly.
“If you see dog waste left in public or somebody leaving their pet’s mess then please tell us at www.worcester.gov.uk/report-it.”
The City Council’s ‘Any Bin Will Do’ campaign encourages dog owners to use any available public litter bin to dispose of dog waste. Bins can be found across the city, in parks, streets, and other public spaces.
For dog mess found in Worcester, residents are urged to report it to the Council at www.worcester.gov.uk/report-it. If you see somebody who fails to pick up their dog’s mess then inform the Council of the day and time so that enforcement officers can investigate.
