Council appeals for help to catch litter louts and bad dog owners after less than 20 prosecutions last year

A freedom of information (FOI) request made by Hart Station resident Mitch Wilson, who picks up over 24,000 pieces of rubbish a year, revealed that in 2019 the council fined less than five people for dog fouling offences, and only 14 for littering.

Nobody was caught and fined for not carrying dog poo bags. By contrast 4,722 were fined for parking offences.

Hartlepool Borough Council admits it is difficult to catch people committing littering and dog fouling offences due to its limited number of enforcement officers, and appealed for as much information from the public as possible.

Mr Wilson, 68, made a similar FOI request to the council last year when no-one was fined for not picking up after their dogs. The council put it down to a change in legislation.

In 2018, just 13 people were issued with fixed penalty notices for littering.

Mr WIlson said of the new figures: “I think it’s absolutely scandalous. Where I live it’s an open toilet.

“I couldn’t believe it when no people were fined for not having dog poo bags.”

He said King Oswy was particularly bad saying: “All the council should do is park a covert vehicle and see who's doing it. It’s simple.”

Mr Wilson added: “Over the year I collect something like 24,000 pieces of plastic and tin cans and they fine 14 people.”

Hartlepool Borough Council said it is committed to keeping the town as clean as possible and tackle dog fouling through a combination of awareness-raising education and enforcement.

Recently-introduced Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) mean dog owners can be fined if they refuse to pick up or cannot show they carry the means to do so.

A council spokesman said: “This measure was introduced in conjunction with the provision of a number of dispenser stations at key public open spaces, which enable dog walkers to access free bio-degradable dog waste bags.

“However, it can be difficult to catch irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up given that enforcement officer numbers are limited.

“This is where members of the public can help by providing us with as much information as possible about dog fouling – locations and times when offences are taking place and descriptions of the owners and dogs involved.

“Such information enables us to deploy our enforcement officers in the most effective way, even if that means operating outside of core working hours.”

The council adds it regularly puts up signs warning the public they face Fixed Penalty Charge for non-compliance of the PSPOs, plus temporary stencilled signs on footpaths in known problem areas which the authority says have proved effective.

The spokesman added: “At the end of the day, though, it is important to remember that there would not be a problem if all owners accepted their responsibilities and always cleaned up after their dogs and people disposed of their litter appropriately.”