Dog control measures renewed amid lack of enforcement concerns

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

Dog owners in Newport must obey rules on using leads and keeping their pets away from sports pitches for at least another three years.

But there are concerns around enforcement of the rules and “terrible” issues with dog mess that isn’t picked up.

The city council has renewed a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), requiring dog owners to pick up after their pets, and keep dogs on leads in certain public places such as cemeteries or around livestock.

They must also keep their pets away from children’s play areas – and owners who breach any of the PSPO’s rules could face £100 fines.

But during a recent public consultation on the renewal, some respondents felt there was a lack of enforcement, and called for tougher action to be taken against owners who break the rules.

One member of a rugby club said “the amount of dog mess we have to clean before a game and training is terrible”.

“Also, the amount of dogs free-roaming is unbelievable,” they added.

Another person alleged “many people simply ignore the rules and, so far as I can tell, they are rarely enforced – particularly in relation to keeping dogs on a lead in cemeteries”.

Concerns around enforcement was a recurring theme, with some people saying they had “never seen anyone enforcing current dog behaviour rules”.

They added they were “not sure of the value of an order if there is zero enforcement”.

“It’s great to have these rules in place, but without it being enforced by regular patrolling in areas affected then it’s just words on paper,” a third person said.

In many cases, people said there were not enough dog mess bins in their neighbourhoods, and the council said respondents from Corporation Road, Cromwell Road, Nash Road, Somerton and Rogerstone all highlighted “particular shortages”.

Some 15% of people who took part in the consultation also said they were not aware that properly-bagged dog mess could be placed in regular public litter bins.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Yvonne Forsey, the cabinet member for waste and recycling, said the public feedback and comments from a scrutiny committee had been taken on board.

Cllr David Fouweather called the PSPO a “very important policy” but said councillors “can’t fail to notice the amount of dog mess that is on the pavements” in the city.

“We don’t have the means to police this,” he claimed.

Cllr Mark Howells called on the council to ensure “this isn’t a policy that’s sat on a shelf”.

The new PSPO will be in effect for the next three years.