Fined For Not Picking Up Dog Poo,

[trt]

I agree 100% with, but in Blaby District in Leicester, you can get fined £100, for not carrying a poo bag, and have wardens stopping dog walkers to check.

A bit Big Brother I think, and OTT.

[aelmpvw]

if my little terror uses all the bags in my pocket in one trip she'll be in need of a trip to the vet :-(

[gness]

I can't find a link other than Baldric's, but I'm assuming that not every dog owner's going to be patted down and searched....
Won't it just the ones with a dog....in the act of going through the motions...who are questioned for not picking up when spotted by a warden?..x

[Baldric]

As far as I can make out, they can't 'stop and search', but can ask to see the bags, if you refuse you are deemed to be obstructing an Officer at which point they can involve the Police.

[albaqwerty]

Glad to hear of at least one council which has the money to employ wardens.

[douglas9401]

I can imagine house prices soaring in the district when word gets out about the crime rate being so low that bobbies are poised ready to act on something that hasn't happened.

[Baldric]

///that bobbies are poised ready to act on something that hasn't happened///

But it would have happened Doug. by the time the Police become involved someone would have at the very least 'Obstructed' a Council Officer in the course of his/her duty.

[sunny-dave]

"bobbies stamp out jobbies", eh doogie?

[gness]

Perhaps bringing in this fineable offence will mean spending less on council workers wandering around picking up poo.... :-)

[pastafreak]

"...council workers wandering around picking up poo.... "
It's usually been stepped on before they'd ever get to it...:-(

[Old_Geezer]

Just a pity they can't work out a way to include cat owners too.

[gness]

Indeed, Pasta....and stepping out of a car in the dark...onto a pooed grass verge.....in strappy sandals is no joke.....

Amazing just how far around your toes and straps the poo can squelch.... :-(

[sunny-dave]

Quite so, OG - dog poo is at least (usually) visible and punishable - the vile droppings from feline poo generators are everywhere and you don't see them until too late :(

[New Judge]

"...by the time the Police become involved someone would have at the very least 'Obstructed' a Council Officer in the course of his/her duty."

They may very well have done, Balders. But since such action does not constitute a criminal offence there's nothing to be done about it. Litter/dog fouling wardens have no powers as such. They cannot detain anybody, they cannot search anybody. They can ask somebody for their name and address but that person may simply walk off.

Quite how Blaby District Council (or whoever came up with this scatter-brained idea) hopes to see its enforcement is a mystery. The only time it can be enforced is if there happens to be a police officer around or a PCSO (who has the power to detain a person for 30 minutes until police arrive). I actually think it is very good idea, but that its enforcement (among those who allow their dogs to foul) is virtually impossible.

[youngmafbog]

This has happened in lux for some time. After my mate who was living there told me we always had them tied to the lead as we thought it a good idea.

[Islay]

Just right you should always have bags on you and its rubbish to say I have just used them up, we normally have a good dozen each on us in a dispenser that clips to the leads.

[cleodog]

When my dog was quite old she didn't want to walk very far or fast, I was ambling along in front of her one day and the lead (extending kind) was a bit loose. I realised it had gone a little too loose so turned round to see what she was doing and she was squatting to do her business. I looked up and there was a special police officer standing right behind her waiting to see if I was going to pick it up. Presume if I hadn't turned round then he would have fined me?! ( I always picked up the poo even to the extent of knocking on someone's door to ask for a carrier or piece of newspaper one day when I put my hand in my pocket and discovered to my horror they had fell out!!) Bit sneaky. He looked embarrassed when he saw I'd clocked him?!

[cassa333]

I think it is a good idea.

Mind you they will not have enough people to 'police' it so in reality it is just like any other deterrent.

Outside my house and along this side of the road we have single yellow timed lines (cul de sac leading to a school) and not one person who comes to pick up their little teenage snowflake takes a blind bit of notice because the traffic controllers (or whatever they are called) come round about once every year.

So you can have as many rules as you like, if you don't have the people to police it they might as well not have the rules...

[sunny-dave]

You need a motorcycling friend with a white helmet and a hi-viz jacket, cassa - I've 'just happened to be talking to a friend' by some routinely abused school parking restrictions - funnily enough all parents/snowflakes discovered they could actually walk 50 yards further that day ...