Dog owners reminded to ‘Bag it, bin it’
11th June 2021
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is issuing a reminder to dog owners across the district to ‘Bag it, Bin it’ or face an £80 fixed penalty notice for failing to clean up after their pet. Failure to pay the fixed penalty notice will result in court proceedings, where the maximum fine is £1000.
Dog fouling is both a nuisance and a serious health hazard as dog faeces can contain a number of things which can make people ill or can even cause blindness.
In response to growing concerns of an increase in dog fouling across the district over recent months, with the number of dog fouling complaints received by the Council increasing by more than 20 per cent in 2020-21 compared to the previous year, the Council has introduced a range of additional measures to tackle the issue. These include stepping up dog control patrols by Council enforcement officers and the roll out of a targeted communications campaign which includes stencilling graphics on pavements of popular walking routes to remind dog owners to clean up after their pet.
As a further measure, the Council is replacing the smaller red dog foul bins, which are mainly located in the Omagh area, with larger general litter bins, to make it even easier for people to dispose of litter responsibly, including dog foul. Stickers will be placed on each litter bin to clearly show that dog foul can also be disposed of safely in this bin.
The replacing of the red dog foul bins in the Omagh area with larger litter bins will bring a consistent approach to the disposal of dog foul in public bins across the district and with greater capacity bins, will help assist with the issue of overflowing dog foul bins.
Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thompson said:
“Dog fouling is one of the most unacceptable and offensive types of litter on our streets and open spaces. As well as being unsightly, it is unhygienic and is also extremely dangerous with severe health implications as dog faeces can cause diseases in humans such as toxocariasis which can result in serious illness and may lead to blindness.
While the vast majority of dog owners in the district are responsible, with many signed up to the Council’s Green Dog Walker scheme, unfortunately there remains some who fail to clean up after their dog. I urge these people to always clean up after their pet.
The Council continues to work in a range of ways to promote responsible dog ownership to ensure safe access to our parks and outdoor spaces for everybody. The introduction of larger litter bins in place of the red dog foul bins in the Omagh area provides even more opportunities for dog walkers to bag it, bin it, using any of the public litter bins available, to ensure a more pleasant experience for everyone when outdoors.”
To further help eradicate the problem of dog fouling, dog owners are encouraged to: carry a plastic bag or ‘poop scoop’ when out for a walk; teach their dog to go to the toilet in your garden before you leave home; never let their dog on to the street to foul; and to use any bag and any public litter bin. Bagged dog foul can also be placed in the black or green landfill wheelie bin at home (never use the brown or blue recycling bin as the dog foul will contaminate them).
For further information on responsible dog ownership and the Green Dog Walker scheme please visit the Council website at bit.ly/GreenDogWalkerFODC or contact the Council directly. To report dog fouling please telephone Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on 0300 303 1777 or email dogcontrol@fermanaghomagh.com.