Dog fouling crackdown set to be extended

The 12-month trial was launched in May to crack down on anyone dropping litter or failing to pick up after their dog in Littlehampton and Bognor Regis.

It has seen more than 1,000 fines correctly issued since it began.

At a meeting of Arun District Council yesterday (December 19), the Environment and Leisure Working Group recommended that the contract be extended.

The decision will be made by councillor Stephen Haymes, cabinet member for technical services, next year.

Although very few of these fines are for dog fouling due to these offences often being committed in darkness or concealed areas, hotspot dog fouling areas have been targeted and reports show an improvement in most of these areas.

The scheme costs nothing to the taxpayer as the scheme is funded by the money it raises in fixed penalty notices for dog fouling and litter.

These are issued by Arun District Council’s trained enforcement officers.

The council’s street scene officers, who monitor cleansing standards, and Biffa contractors have both given positive feedback regarding the cleanliness of Littlehampton town centre since the trial began.

If extended for a further two years from May 15 next year, the contract would be expanded to allow officers to enforce public space protection orders, giving them power to issue fines to confiscate alcohol in designated areas to tackle problem behaviour associated with street drinking.

For more information, visit arun.gov.uk/dog-control.