Sandwell dog walkers fined £11,000 in crackdown on mess
Dog walkers in Sandwell have paid more than £11,000 in fines since the start of a crackdown on people who fail to clean up after their pets.
A total of 156 dog walkers have been hit in the pocket after being caught by wardens on streets and parks across the borough in the two years since the campaign began.
They included nine people who were taken to court after refusing to pay the £75 fine.
All ended up with a bigger bill. The action has brought in more than £11,700.
Sandwell Council has turned up the heat on dog walkers in an effort to try and keep the its towns free from dog mess.
Bosses hope the large number of people being fined will make others think twice before walking away from their dog's mess when out walking their pet.
Wardens have also been helped to catch offenders by fed-up people providing information about dog mess where they live or go walking and the message from the council is to keep up the good work.
Councillor Maria Crompton, environment boss at the authority, said: "We want to say a big 'thank you' to all the responsible dog owners and everyone who's provided information about dog mess, helping us to clean it up and track down those who haven't got the message.
"Please keep the information coming, so we can continue to tackle this issue.
"With the success of this campaign – including the fines and prosecutions – we hope the irresponsible few are now learning we mean business.
"Dog fouling is a top priority for our residents.
"It not only looks horrible, but it's a serious health risk for children and it costs many thousands of pounds of council taxpayers' money each year to clean up."
The campaign to keep the streets clean was launched in February 2014, and since then an average of one dog walker has been fined every week.
Wardens have given out thousands of free bags to dog walkers while spray-on stencils featuring the words 'clean it up' under the outline of a pooch have been painted onto pavement in dog fouling hotspots.
Posters, featuring images of dog mess, have been displayed in parks, notice boards, on lampposts and in community buildings warning people to 'clean up after your dog or face a £75 fine' to try and highlight the campaign.
The council's methods proved to be divisive, with some residents unhappy about stencils being sprayed onto pavements, complaining that was also untidy.
The posters featuring a swear word, albeit with two letters covered by asterisks, were also criticised as being too strong for public viewing.
