Call for action after 8 Highland Council dog wardens catch just 2 dog-fouling owners in 3 years
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Highland Council is facing demands to clean up its act on dog-fouling – after catching just two offenders in the last three years.
With Inverness and Nairn among areas increasingly blighted by the problem, community leaders, politicians and childcare groups have expressed concern.
They feel Freedom of Information statistics we obtained highlight the local authority’s failure to clamp down on rogue pet owners. Dog dirt can carry parasites and diseases dangerous to people, with young children and pregnant women at particular risk.
Our investigation showed that in 2021, 2022 and 2023, members of the public in the Highland Council area made 114, 109 and 111 dog-fouling complaints respectively.
Only a tiny fraction saw dog owners punished with fixed penalty notice fines – one in 2021, one in 2022 and none last year.
That is despite employing eight assistant community works officers with dog warden duties at a total salary cost of over £200,000 per year.
The fines raked in the grand sum of £180 to council coffers.
Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain said: “There’s clearly a major disconnect between the number of complaints, which are rising, and the complete lack of enforcement.
“Dog fouling is a disgusting problem and those who allow it to happen ought to be punished in a way that discourages them from ever doing it again.
“The council needs to urgently review why so much money is being spent on something which is having no impact whatsoever.
“The wardens need more support to tackle this problem which blights too many communities across the Highlands.”
Dr Alastair Noble of Nairn West & Suburban Community Council has witnessed countless instances of dog-fouling and feels the problem is getting worse.
He said: “I’ve seen the so-called Secret Beach at Nairn in such a state that you could hardly walk down the path as there was so much dog poo.
“We know Highland Council is broke, but they seem to employ an awful lot of people.
“If Highland Council are paying the best part of quarter of a million pounds in salaries, the least you would expect is the streets of Inverness and other towns to be poo-free.”
Tina Strain, owner of Tin Tin’s childminding service in Crown, Inverness, said the problem was rife and particularly worrying for parents and pregnant mums.
She said: “It is really bad up here. There are people who don’t bother, but also a lot who are maybe responsible owners but are a wee bit blind-eyed about the fact their dog is making a mess.
“If pregnant women catch something from it, it can blind their child so it isn’t something anyone should take lightly.”
Barry Fisher, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Scotland has a problem with dog fouling.
“Our recent public perception polling highlighted that 61 per cent of people see it in their local area very or somewhat often.
“It is the most offensive form of litter on our streets and parks.
“Local authorities have been forced to make difficult decisions in recent years and budget cuts will continue to impact how environmental crimes are dealt with.
“Highland Council additionally faces the significant challenge of managing services across a massive and very rural geographical area.
“Government, nationally and locally, can and should do more to implement existing – and put in place new – legislation and policies to tackle dog fouling.
“But, ultimately standards are falling because of the behaviour of those who repeatedly fail to pick up after their pet.”
A spokesperson for Highland Council said: “The commission of the offence must be witnessed, the dog owner must knowingly not lift the fouling when it happens.
“Unfortunately, the majority of dog fouling occurs in the early/late evening and early morning before officers come on duty.
“However, we have undertaken patrols out of hours in problem areas to detect culprits.
“In addition to dog fouling, the council employs dog wardens to enforce legislation for abandoned vehicles, out of control dogs, fly tipping, pest control and littering. There are eight officers covering the entire Highland Council area.”
It invites anyone who witnesses dog fouling to report offences at https://shorturl.at/gsvH4
