:: press release ::

DOG OWNERS NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE 

East Antrim DUP Assembly Member Alastair Ross has obtained figures which detail the number of fixed penalty noticed for dog fouling issued by each council area over the past three years.  

Mr Ross said that there are public health implications for children who may come into contact with dog dirt and that dog owners should act responsibly and clean up after their pets.  

Commenting on the figures, Mr Ross said, 

“Dogs may be mans best friend, but it is no joke when pavements and playing fields are littered by dog dirt. I have had a number of constituents contact me about dog mess in the streets and asked an Assembly Question on the issue to ascertain how many fixed penalty notices had been issued to irresponsible dog owners.  

In my own East Antrim constituency, the figures reveal that 90 fixed penalty notices were issued in Newtownabbey for the year 2006/7, compared to only 7 the previous year. Only 4 were issued in Carrickfergus and Larne Council issued 14.  

These figures contrast with the 143 fixed penalty notices issued in Belfast and councils in Armagh, Ballymoney, Cookstown, Londonderry, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Limavady, Moyle, Strabane and Newry who didn’t issue any.

Far from being a frivolous issue, there is a serious health hazard that local councils and dog owners should be made aware of. In the region of 250,000 tonnes of dog faeces are deposited in Britain every year. Legislation exists which made it a legal requirement for anyone in control of a dog to clean up after it immediately if it fouls on any land which is open to the air and where there is public access.

Dogs that are not wormed regularly can carry roundworm that produces minute eggs in the gut of the dog. If excreted, the eggs can get washed into soil and if they get into the human body can cause damage to the liver, lungs and eyes, sometimes leading to blindness.

This is particularly worrying for parents whose children are out playing in public areas or parks that may be littered by dog dirt, and there is a danger to young children playing in these areas particularly over the summer months.

I would appeal to dog owners to be responsible and carry plastic bags with them and show the basic courtesy to other members of the public by cleaning up after their pets. If they don’t then they should be prosecuted and I hope that councils will also play their role in cleaning up our public areas.” 
 

**Full Assembly Answer detailed below

My Department does not hold information on the number of incidents of dog fouling which have been reported in each of the last 5 years. However, details in relation to the number of dog fouling fixed penalty notices issued by each district council have been compiled since 1 April 2004. Detailed below are these figures for the periods 2004/2005, 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. My Department has recently requested the figures for 2007/08 and I will let you have these as soon as they become available.