A councillor has said people should get a cat or a goldfish if they are not prepared to pick up their dog’s poo.

The comments were made as East Cambridgeshire District Council agreed to fine people £100 if they are caught not clearing up after their dog.

Councillor Julia Huffer said people leaving dog waste behind was a serious issue and said another councillor had lost sight in one eye because of dog faeces.

The authority first introduced a district wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) back in 2018, which required people to pick up after their dogs and to “appropriately take away or dispose of the waste”.

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Anyone who was caught not doing so could be issued with a fine, previously set at £80, but now due to be increased to £100.

Officers at the district council told councillors at an operational services committee meeting this week (November 18) that it was a “challenge” to enforce the order.

They said not many people were willing or able to provide a witness statement when they saw someone failing to pick up after their dog, and in some other cases they said they were not able to identify the owner of the dog.

In 2023/24 officers said there were 54 reports of dog waste being seen on the ground, and seven reports of dog fouling, which the officer led to a community protection warning and three warning letters being sent out.

 

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Councillors said they understood why it was a challenge to enforce, but voiced their support for extending the PSPO for another three years.

Cllr Huffer said: “I do not understand why people get a dog if they are not prepared to pick up after it, get a cat, get a goldfish, get a stuffed dog, do not get a real one and take it out and allow it to foul anywhere.”

Cllr Huffer said leaving dog waste around was a serious issue and said another councillor had lost sight in one of their eyes as a child due to dog faeces.

She said: “That is how serious it can be, it can be life changing.”

(Image: East Cambs District Council)