Issued: 15 May 2008
Irresponsible Dog Owners Targeted
Angus Council is cracking down on irresponsible dog owners.
A pilot project targeting certain areas of Arbroath is being launched by the council with dog wardens, environmental health and cleansing teams and community wardens joining forces to combat the nuisance of dog fouling.
The council is launching the intensive campaign in response to community concerns and it is being piloted in the areas of Arbroath where the council is aware of significant problems.
Commenting on the launch of the initiative councillor David Fairweather, the council's vice-convener of Infrastructure Services said: "The irresponsible behaviour of the minority of dog owners is completely unacceptable and is understandably the cause of concern and frustration in local communities.
"The council is keen to address this problem and try out new ways of tacking this public nuisance. We will be keeping a close eye on the effectiveness of this pilot initiative in Arbroath to see if it should be applied elsewhere in Angus."
Outlining how the project will operate a council spokesperson said: "The officers involved in the Arbroath project will be on duty from early morning and into the evening to cover all of the hours when dog owners exercise their pets.
"The officers from a number of council services will not necessarily be in identifiable uniform but all have the authorisation to issue a fixed penalty notice for this anti-social offence. No warnings will be issued, every witnessed incidence of dog fouling will be dealt with by way of a £40 fixed penalty notice.
"Staff issuing the notices will carry picture identity cards and will clearly declare themselves as officers of Angus Council when approaching an individual."
The project starts in Arbroath next week.