Residents furious as dog poo blights Stone’s paths, roads and grassy spaces

Residents across Stone have been contacting A Little Bit of Stone in droves about unpicked up or incorrectly disposed of dog poo.

The majority of dog owners DO clean up and dispose of their dog poo responsibly, however, throughout the town we’ve had reports of an increase in dog fouling on footpaths, roads and grassy land.

Dog poo, that’s left on the ground or incorrectly disposed of, is both unpleasant and a potential cause of serious illness and can lead to serious fines.

Stafford Borough Council is the local authority responsible for policing dog fouling, and those found fouling can be issued with a £100 fixed penalty fine or be prosecuted.

Any person in charge of a dog who does not clean up the mess will get a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice or face prosecution with the maximum fine being set £1,000.

Whilst a number of dog owners do pick up “orphaned” poo, you can also use the Stafford Borough Council online form to report dog fouling in your area and the council may arrange for it to be cleaned up depending on its location. – Stafford Borough Council dog fouling form

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The Council will clear dog faeces from all public places it has legal responsibility for. If a dog fouls on private land it is the landowner’s responsibility to clean it up.

To help combat dog fouling, the borough council offers a £100 reward scheme where residents can receive a £100 payout if they provide information that leads to either a successful prosecution or the issuing of a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.

You can report the details in confidence if you know someone who is not cleaning up after their dog at dogs@staffordbc.gov.uk or on 01785 619000. Reporters should give us as much detail as possible such as name, location, times, dates.

Please note that being unaware that the dog has fouled, or not having anything to clean up the mess is still illegal. The person responsible is the person in care of the dog at the time of the fouling, and as such, they are the responsible party for ensuring it is cleaned up.

A reminder for being a responsible dog walker – Take a bag or scoop whenever you take your dog away from your own private land. Dog poo bags should be well sealed and placed in either a normal litter bin, a specific dog poo bin or taken home to your green bin. – tossing bags into hedgerows or hanging them in trees is not a way to dispose of it responsibly!