Dog foul enforcement campaign underway
Enforcement officers from Telford & Wrekin Council have begun their first days of campaigning in a bid to tackle the rising rates of dog fouling across the borough.
Councillor Richard Overton, (Lab) Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Highways, Housing & Enforcement said: “This problem is widespread and with the public’s support we can identify hot spot areas and use tools like CCTV and enforcement officers to drive down this blight on our towns and green spaces.
"While this is the most reported area, we know there will be many areas across the borough where dog fouling is blighting the community. Our teams will be working across the borough in hot spot areas as part of their mission to ensure our neighbourhoods are great places to live."
Irresponsible dog owners have contributed to record numbers rising by 36% in the last 12 months from 823 in 2022/23 to 1,119 in 2023/24. All incidents have been cleared by the council’s teams at an estimated cost of approximately £15k,000.
The campaign will focus on areas with the highest reported rates and asks that people clear up after their dogs and for responsible owners to report instances, allowing the council to gather details of hotspot areas.
Enforcement officers will be speaking owners about this growing issue while seeking to ensure they have bags available to clean up after their dog; if not fine will be issued. New signage, patrols and CCTV all form part of the campaign.
Councillor Overton added: “We need public support to identify the few culprits who do not think it’s their responsibility and to report it if they see it so we can build a complete picture of where this is becoming an issue.”
Residents are asked not to challenge other owners but, provide details such as times, dates and locations instead. The dog foul will be left for two days to ensure the public is aware of the campaign and then removed.
Dog fouling offences are treated seriously and reports where there is persistent fouling or evidence of an offence being committed, will be investigated.
The council relies on help from members of the public reporting issues and providing evidence.
Residents can report dog fouling incidents via the MyTelford app or by calling the Telford & Wrekin Watch confidential hotline on 01952 388 800.
