Videos from the household security devices provided by members of the public has resulted in Ribble Valley Council successfully issuing fixed penalty notices to irresponsible pet owners who failed to clean up after their animals in Longridge and Clitheroe.
One of Ribble Valley Council’s priorities is to help make resident’s lives safer and healthier, which includes ensuring that all public spaces are safe, clean, and accessible to all.
It has just renewed its public spaces protection order, or PSPO,introduced in 2017 to tackle the scourge of dog poop in public for a further three years,
Ribble Valley Council’s focus is to educate dog owners to encourage responsible behaviour.
However, when a dog owner does not pick up and dispose of their dog’s faeces, the authosity will consider prosecuting them.
In some cases, a fixed penalty notice may be issued which requires the payment of a fine.
Andrew Dent, Ribble Valley Council’s head of environmental health, said: “The environmental health team work hard to educate residents about the consequences of dog fouling for both the community and those caught offending.
“In addition to education, and initiatives such as the public spaces protection order, ongoing enforcement is key to tackling the very small minority of dog owners who risk public health and blight the environment by not picking up.
“In undertaking enforcement we also rely on evidence and information provided by residents, such as doorbell camera footage, to help us target the right individuals.”
Any resident who feels able to provide information or evidence such as doorbell camera footage, should contact the environmental health team at contact@ribblevalley.gov.uk or via telephone at 01200 425111.
