COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A new report out today has revealed that Coventry City Council had to issue 80 fixed penalty notices last year - fourth highest of any council



Coventry is officially one of the worst places in the UK for pet owners not picking up their dog’s mess.

A new report out today from Direct Line highlights the amount of fixed penalty notices (FPN’s) given out to dog walkers in Coventry.

In a national league table Coventry came fourth - with 80 fines for not picking up poo handed out to dog owners in 2015.

The report also highlights an increase in dog control orders - with local authorities nationwide netting more than £160k from people fined for breaching them last year.

In Coventry dog control orders came into force in May 2015.

The controversial powers were watered down after a number of complaints from dog owners who thought they were too restrictive.

Speaking at the time, former Labour council leader Labour council leader Ann Lucas said the change was a sign that the council was willing to listen to public opinion, and admitted the authority had tried to “use a hammer to crack a walnut.”

She said: “The original changes were made after members, with the best of intentions, raised concerns over health - particularly in relation to sports pitches.

“We have taken additional advice and we found that the petitioners were right and we were wrong.

“We used a hammer to crack a walnut.”

Under the orders dog owners can be fined for failing to remove dog faeces, not keeping a dog on a lead, not putting, and keeping, a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer, permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded and taking more than a specified number of dogs onto land.

Coventry City Council has been approached by the Telegraph for comment.

Shocking fall in dog poo fines as council loses war on lazy owners



Coventry residents reported more than 400 cases of dog fouling last year - but just TEN fines were dished out.

Penalty notices handed to those who let their dogs foul have dropped signficantly over the past three years.

That’s despite the number of complaints each year remaining broadly similar.

The figures were revealed in a freedom of information request to Coventry City Council .

In 2013, 449 complaints of dog fouling were reported to the council with 293 fines being dished out.

Even though the number of complaints had increased by 2015 to 451, only 80 fines were issued to people for failing to scoop the poop.

By August of this year, 286 complaints were filed to the council, but only ten fines given.

According to council officials, the significant drop in the number of fines is due to a “lack of resources” to help police the problem.

A spokesman said: “The officer resource available to issue fixed penalty notices for dog fouling was reduced.

This is as a result of the financial pressures facing the council.

“Having said this, Coventry City Council still takes this issue seriously and issues more fixed penalty notices, for this particular offence, than many other local authorities.”

Last month the Telegraph revealed that the city was the fourth worst city in the UK for dog fouling.

The council has said that it will only be able to target more offenders with the public’s help.

The spokesman added: “We are very reliant on members of the public providing intelligence on who is allowing their dog to foul, where, when, descriptions etc.

“With this information, we can arrange to have officers in these locations at corresponding times. Our officers are used to tracking down offenders.”
To make a complaint of dog fouling, contact the council through their online reporting form.

What you need to tell the council if you witness dog fouling:

• -The day, date, location and time that the incident occurred
  
• -A description of the person in charge of the dog at the time the incident occurred
  
• -A description of the dog that they were walking
  
• -If they arrived in a vehicle a description of the vehicle
  
• -How far away you were when the incident occurred
  
• -What kind of view you had