Dog fouling
Dog fouling spoils the environment, upsets local residents and can cause serious health risks, particularly to children. Pick up your dog's waste using a bag and put the dog waste in a rubbish bin. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. It will help us keep County Durham clean.
The law
It is an offence, under a Public Space Protection Order, if you do not clean up your dog's waste. If you're caught not picking up, you will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £100. If taken to court, you could be fined a maximum of £1,000. See enforcement powers for irresponsible dog owners for details.
What happens after I've reported dog fouling?
Our neighbourhood wardens will investigate and take the necessary action against the person. If a pavement or verge is badly fouled, we can arrange for the mess to be cleaned up and/or arrange for an officer to patrol the area in an effort to catch the offenders.
Help stop dog fouling issues
It takes very little time and effort to clean up after your dog and it is no defence to claim ignorance of the dog's actions. Always carry a 'poop-a-scoop' or bag when walking your dog and pick up after your pet. A carrier bag or nappy sack is all you need.
How to get rid of dog waste
Dog bins
We provide dog waste bins throughout County Durham, at locations such as parks, grass verges, pedestrian areas, footpaths, larger open spaces and coastal promenades. We regularly check dog bins and empty when required. You can also use any public litter bin to dispose of dog waste.
Household bins
You can also get rid of dog waste in your household rubbish bin, provided it is properly bagged. Please do not place dog waste in your household recycling bin as this will contaminate your recycling.
Campaigns and schemes to tackle dog fouling
Responsible dog ownership
A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for dog control came into effect in County Durham on 1 June 2017. The Order encourages responsible dog ownership and allow us to take more enforcement action against irresponsible dog owners.
Despite the improvements, dog fouling and other dog related issues remain a key area of concern for communities across the county.
We are therefore proposing to expand the PSPO to tackle other issues too. The current PSPO runs to May 2023, so we'd like your views on expanding the PSPO. We'd love to hear your views: Dog public space protection order - Have your say
See the Enforcement powers for irresponsible dog owners page for more details.
- Customer Services
- help@durham.gov.uk
- 03000 26 0000
