News

Dog owners in Liverpool to face instant fines under new rules

Liverpool City Council is set to rein in dog owners who let their pets foul in public places – and then don’t bin it.

The council is to introduce a city-wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) that will see owners fined for failing to bag and dispose of dog mess.

The proposals went out to public consultation this summer, after the city council received 1,865 complaints regarding dog fouling between January 2020 to January 2022. Almost 80% of respondents supported the PSPO.

The council’s Highways and Public Spaces Committee has this evening just approved its introduction, which will also see dogs banned from Childrens Play areas and fully enclosed sports grounds/areas such as football pitches, tennis courts and bowling greens.  

This ban will also include fully enclosed sports areas commonly known as multiactivity areas. Certain people would be exempt from the order such as those using disability dogs.

Owners will be also required to put their pet on a lead in all of the city’s cemeteries and crematoria, as well as St Johns Gardens in the city centre.

Authorised officers would also have the right to ask owners to put dogs on leads if they were found to be flouting the rules.

Any person falling foul of the new order will be committing an offence punishable by an on-the-spot £80 fine – which could rise to £1,000 if the offence went to court.

This new PSPO forms a key part of a new 12-month environment action programme which the city council is developing as a result of its new partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, with a focus on issues such as litter in parks and fly-tipping. 

The decision also comes just weeks after the council became the first in the UK to install a network of subterranean super-bins to tackle bin bag litter. And last week the council also launched a cigarette litter awareness campaign.

Once the PSPO is legally sealed and published later this week, the council will then install new signage in the city’s affected areas. At this point, the order will become enforceable.

Councillor Liam Robinson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said

“We’ve listened to all those who have complained about this issue over the past few years, and today I’m glad to say Liverpool City Council has acted.

“Our parks and open spaces are hugely important community assets – as the Covid-19 pandemic vividly underlined – and we can’t let a minority ruin the joy they bring for everyone else. 

“These enforcement powers under this new PSPO provides clarity on what the rules are and they also strike the right balance – allowing people to continue to enjoy walking their dogs but giving the council the tools to instantly fine those who spoil that experience.

“The council has invested millions of pounds in upgrading our play areas and we need to ensure they are kept as clean and tidy as possible for families and their children to enjoy. 

“Dogs not on leads in public spaces has also become a concern, as our colleagues in Merseyside Police can testify, and we’ve had too many reports of deaths to wildlife in our parks to just sit here and do nothing. 

“As with any new rules, they will take time bed in and we’ll review them and continue to listen to park users and dog owners to see if and how they can be improved.”

Did you know…?

Liverpool City Council has dealt with 41 complaints of dog incidents in play areas over the last two years and received eight complaints of damage and dog fouling to play equipment caused by dogs. In 2021 a play area was so badly contaminated with dog fouling that it had to be shut for a deep clean.

The PSPO is also a quality of life issue. Dog faeces is a public health issue and can cause Toxocariasis, a rare infection caused by roundworm parasites. The parasites are more likely to affect young children as they are most likely to come into contact with it.

In addition to tackling dog fouling, Merseyside Police has also recorded 570 crimes in relation to dogs that have been dangerously out of control across the city in the past three years, demonstrating the importance of safe spaces for people and children to play and exercise.

Dogs are currently excluded from a large proportion of play areas, sports pitches and walled gardens, under the 1994 Control of Dogs Byelaws. However, this does not permit the issuing of a fixed penalty notice. The new PSPO would mean Council Enforcement Officers, Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers would be able to issue fixed penalties as an alternative to a court summons.

These officers will also be trained and authorised to demand that dogs be also placed on leads. The new legislation will apply to the whole of Liverpool, including streets, parks and open spaces.

Related Articles

384 Comments

  1. My partner and I stumbled over here different web address and thought I might as well check things
    out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to looking over your web page for a second time.

  2. Heya! I understand this is sort of off-topic but I needed to ask.

    Does building a well-established website such as yours take a lot of work?

    I am brand new to operating a blog but I do write in my diary everyday.
    I’d like to start a blog so I can easily
    share my own experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any
    kind of ideas or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!

  3. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right here.
    I did however expertise some technical points using this website,
    as I experienced to reload the web site lots of times previous to
    I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?

    Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your high quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords.
    Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for
    a lot more of your respective interesting
    content. Make sure you update this again very soon.

  4. Hey there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website?
    I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers
    and I’m looking at options for another platform.
    I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  5. Asking questions are genuinely fastidious thing if you are
    not understanding something totally, except this article gives pleasant understanding even.

  6. Fantastic site you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any forums that cover the
    same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get advice from other knowledgeable individuals
    that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please
    let me know. Cheers!

  7. hey there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up anything new
    from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this website, as I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous
    to I could get it to load correctly. I had
    been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading
    instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your quality score if
    advertising and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m
    adding this RSS to my email and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content.
    Ensure that you update this again soon.

  8. I am really impressed with your writing skills as well as with
    the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid
    theme or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days.

  9. Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!

    Extremely useful information particularly the last part
    🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this particular info for
    a very long time. Thank you and good luck.

  10. I do accept as true with all of the ideas you’ve introduced for your post.
    They are really convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are too quick for newbies.

    May you please prolong them a little from next time?
    Thanks for the post.

  11. Awesome things here. I’m very glad to look your article.
    Thank you a lot and I’m having a look forward to touch
    you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?

  12. Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this website.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very
    difficult to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and
    appearance. I must say that you’ve done a very good job with this.
    In addition, the blog loads super quick for me on Firefox.
    Superb Blog!

  13. I’m not sure why but this website is loading extremely slow for me.
    Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end?
    I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  14. I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re using?
    I’m having some minor security issues with my latest website
    and I’d like to find something more secure. Do you have any
    solutions?

  15. Hola! I’ve been reading your weblog for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and
    give you a shout out from Lubbock Tx! Just wanted to say
    keep up the great work!

  16. Having read this I thought it was rather enlightening.

    I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this information together.
    I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments.
    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

  17. 50 50 Integrated Fridge Tools To Help You Manage Your Daily Lifethe One 50 50 Integrated Fridge Trick
    That Everyone Should Learn 50 50 integrated fridge (Prince)

  18. Single Estate Arabica Coffee Beans Tools To Make Your Daily Lifethe One Single Estate Arabica Coffee Beans Technique Every Person Needs To Know
    single estate arabica coffee beans (Kristofer)

  19. Folding Treadmill UK Tips To Relax Your Daily Lifethe One Folding Treadmill UK Trick That Should Be Used By Everyone Know folding treadmill uk [Bryan]

  20. Due to the severe nature of mesothelioma, a lot of victims and their families suffer from
    financial problems. Legal actions that award compensation may alleviate
    these burdens, allowing victims to focus more on their treatment.

    Have a look at my blog post: asbestos litigation

  21. This is the perfect site for everyone who wishes to understand this
    topic. You understand a whole lot its almost tough
    to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa).
    You definitely put a brand new spin on a
    subject which has been written about for many years.
    Wonderful stuff, just great!

  22. How Long Does 1kg Of Coffee Beans Last Techniques To Simplify
    Your Daily Life How Long Does 1kg Of Coffee Beans Last Trick That Every
    Person Must Learn 1kg of coffee beans – Kali

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button