Council clamps down on irresponsible dog owners

8th May 2009

The Highland Council has issued a clear warning to irresponsible dog owners that it will not tolerate owners allowing their dogs to foul public areas without clearing up after them.

The Council this week announced that during a crackdown week in April, officers issued eleven fixed penalty notices to members of the public and warned that this was just the start of the clampdown with other enforcement weeks to follow.

As part of its policy of combating the anti-social problem of dog fouling, Highland Council Enforcement and Community Works Officers targeted six areas in Inverness and Nairn during the 20th to 25th of April.

The areas targeted included: Bught rugby pitches and canal path, Hilton, Merkinch, Muirtown Basin, Kirkhill and Nairn with officers working early morning through to the evening and at the weekend. Their vigilance resulted in the eleven Fixed Penalty Notices being issued.

Chairman of The Highland Council's TEC Services Committee, Councillor John Laing said: "It was particularly disappointing that three offenders were young mothers with children. On a positive note, however, during the week our officers saw a huge number of dog owners who did pick up. This reinforces our opinion that it is a very small minority who are giving the majority of owners a bad name. This minority should be aware that they will eventually be caught."

The Council will repeat this practice throughout the year at various locations in a bid to identify irresponsible dog owners who do not pick up after their pets, possibly putting children at risk from any pets that may be infected with the Toxocara worm.