A councillor has criticised Cheshire East for failing to take dog fouling and littering seriously.
Willaston and Rope Ward Councillor Brian Silvester is calling on the Cheshire East Council to hand out more 'on the spot' fines for dog fouling and littering.
Cllr Silvester said "The number of fines that have been handed out in the first three years of the Council are derisory. With a population of 360,000, to hand out just 47 fines for dog fouling over 3 years is pathetic. Dog fouling and littering are two of the biggest concerns of local residents and the Council should be taking the problem seriously.
"Also dog fouling is a potential health hazard, especially to the young. The Council has a wide range of wardens across the Borough and they should be using their powers to issue fines far more frequently. Also more staff should be empowered to issue fines as they go about their everyday duties. There should be more of a real deterrent to those small minority of residents who drop litter and allow their dogs to foul without cleaning it up. Also more needs to be done to educate the public about the need to keep our lovely Borough clean, tidy and safe."
In the past three years Cheshire East Council has issued only 47 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling across the whole Borough, 40 of which were paid.
During the past three years 255 fines have has been issued for littering across the whole Borough, with only 164 of these having been paid.
Councillor Les Gilbert, Cabinet member in charge of communities and regulatory services, said: "I am astonished by Councillor Brian Silvester's comments in relation to dog fouling in Cheshire East.
"Our Borough is very clean and tidy and dog owners act responsibly.
"Perhaps the reason there were only 47 fines issued is because we are, in fact, doing an excellent job of educating the public to be responsible dog owners and to clean up after their animals. In response to Cllr Silvester's point about the population, I would question if the 370,000 people in Cheshire East each owns a dog!
"There is a collective responsibility on all dog owners, Cheshire East Council and the town and parish councils to keep our area clean and tidy. And without a shadow of doubt, we are doing our bit, and doing it well.
"The ultimate purpose of any enforcement is compliance, not issuing tickets to generate fine income. We want to prevent anti-social behaviour, not react to it after the event.
"We have lots of dog bins across the Borough that are well used. Our wardens have carried out a number of events in areas where the public report any problems and new bins are installed where appropriate. We have also introduced the first Dog Control Order at The Carrs in Wilmslow.
"The majority of dog fouling on our streets is due to stray dogs and we have increased our response to this. Stray dogs have no-one to pick up after them and cannot be fined.
"I notice Councillor Silvester has not mentioned the other aspects of our wardens' work including littering, abandoned vehicles, fly tipping prosecution and stray dogs, for example. I suggest he works with this Council, rather than attack it."
Community Wardens can issue on the spot fixed penalty notices of £50, which can rise to £1,000 if the offender fails to pay. However, in order to issue the fine, community wardens need to witness the dog fouling, or have strong evidence linking a dog owner to the offence.
