Zero dog fouling fines issued in two years

By Charlotte Hall – Local Democracy Reporter (LDRS)

NO FINES have been issued to Oldham dog owners who do not pick up after their pets in the last two years, according to a Freedom of Information Request (FOI).

Ever since a dog fouling enforcement order for public spaces lapsed in 2021, Oldham Council has been powerless to fine or prosecute against the offence.

The FOI revealed that despite over 300 complaints lodged with the council about dog poo in public areas in the last two years, zero were issued with fixed penalty notices.

Cllr Howard Sykes, who filed the FOI, said: “This is an unforgivable and basic error for the Council to be making. By failing to get the basics right like this, the Council has missed hundreds of opportunities to prosecute an environmental crime and tackle this anti-social behaviour.”

When asked to comment, OMBC noted that the order ran out at a time when the council was ‘busy prioritising protecting our residents against Covid’ and are currently working on renewing them.

Nasir Dad, Executive Director for Environment, said: “Our officers cannot be everywhere at once. We would urge everyone to clean up after their dogs as that would improve the cleanliness of our streets and open spaces.

“If you aren’t prepared to clean up after your dog then should you even have one?”

The council are developing a Town Centre Public Space Protection Order that covers five major areas across the borough, according to Dad. These include bans on dog fouling and other antisocial behaviour that cover more than 200 alley-gated schemes across the borough.

Delph has seen a rise in the number of dog fouling incidents on their streets in recent months, according to locals.

But according to residents, an enforcement order won’t make a difference.

One villager told the LDRS that the lapsed order “doesn’t surprise me with all the budget cuts the councils are having to do.

“I don’t know if they culprits would be found in Delph anyway but I don’t blame the council for it. It’s the dog owners. They should pick it up.”

Another resident thought the issue lay with waste amenities, rather than fines and prosecutions. She said: “There just needs to be dog poo bins in place, where walkers take their dogs. It does help immensely.”

But the dog fouling orders are not the only powers the council have lost in recent years. Some Public Space Protection Orders on the moors and green spaces in and around Oldham have also lapsed in recent years.

Cllr Sykes commented: “People will be appalled to learn that the Council has failed to protect our moors and green spaces. Over the years we’ve had fires on the moors started by disposable BBQs and alike.

“This is exactly the sort of crime we would currently be unable to prosecute because the Labour administration has left our green spaces without proper legal protection.”

The council noted that protections are still in place in areas like Saddleworth and those that are lapsed are due to be renewed in the coming months.

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