Shropshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed to introduce a ‘public spaces protection order’ (PSPO) to assist sort out canine fouling and nuisance. The PSPO will come into impact on 1 June 2024.
It follows an eight-week public session into the proposals held late final yr, that obtained a largely optimistic response – and that led to small variety of amendments being made to the unique proposals.
The PSPO will allow Shropshire Council and the police to concern mounted penalty notices of £100 – or £50 if paid inside 10 days – to house owners who enable their animals to foul pavements and public amenity areas with out clearing up afterwards.
Under the PSPO, dogs can even be excluded from fenced play and sports activities areas and will probably be required to put on a lead on the general public freeway. Officers can even have the ability to ask for a canine to be placed on a lead in public areas the place they aren’t below the management of their proprietor or are performing aggressively.
The PSPO will probably be applied with a public training and knowledge train, sufficient bin provision and signage for enclosed exclusion zones in order that any enforcement motion taken is each ‘reasonable and proportionate’.
Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, stated:
“Following an increasing number of complaints to the council about dog fouling, and concerns that we are not taking sufficient enforcement action it was agreed that the council’s legislative powers be reviewed, and measures implemented to enable enforcement for the control of dogs and for addressing dog fouling. A PSPO is the best way to do this, but it was important to seek people’s views before anything was agreed or implemented and I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation into our original proposals.
“As enforcement on its own will be insufficient to secure a change in behaviour and attitudes, we’re planning to run a proactive public information campaign at the same time.”
The session into the proposed PSPO ran from 27 October to 21 December 2023, with 561 responses obtained. Some 63% of respondents have been in assist of the proposals.
Further data
The proposals contained within the Cabinet report and for the Order are meant to encourage accountable canine possession and management of animals in public areas and as follows:
- To stop public well being nuisance the primary prohibition is asking canine house owners to scrub up after their animals have defecated and to disposal of the waste in an appropriate receptacle
- To stop public well being nuisance significantly for the young and vulnerable members of the general public canine house owners are being requested to exclude their animals from fenced and enclosed play, outfitted and sports activities areas.
- To stop the nuisance of uncontrolled dogs in public areas the Order offers authorised officers with the flexibility to ask canine house owners to leash their animals ‘by direction’ and if required to concern mounted penalty notices if house owners don’t comply.
- The final prohibition proposed pertains to animals being walked on the Highway and is asking for dogs to be ‘leashed’ to stop a security hazard for members of the travelling public, canine house owners and the animals.
Orders will be enforced by a police officer, a police group assist officer, authorised council officers and staff of different delegated organisations.
In establishing a PSPO, acceptable signage should be displayed in accordance with the necessities of the Act on entry factors to the general public space and inside the stated space.
