Blackpool Council warns public not to resort to vigilante justice after increased reports of dog fouling in streets

Some 94 separate incidents of dog fouling have been reported to Blackpool Council since January 1.

A letter sent by the dog warden service to people living in the FY3 area read: "Blackpool Council has received a number of complaints in relation to dog fouling in your area. Local patrols are now being conducted and fixed penalty notices of £100 will be issued to any person who is witnessed failing to clean up after their dog. Where fixed penalty notices for this offence remain unpaid, a fine of up to £1,000 may be issued by the magistrates court."

The Council urged people to contact the dog warden about irresponsible owners - but warned them not to take matters into their own hands.

They said: "Please do not post anything such as names and addresses publicly on social media sites; information shared in this way can have a detrimental affect on legal actions that the council might take. If you know the offender or have any evidence please send this directly to the dog warden."

John Blackledge, Blackpool Council's director of community and environmental services, said: "We take the issue of dog fouling extremely seriously and, where possible, always try to pursue any irresponsible dog owners to hold them to account.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for residents to report dog fouling – they can do so via a form on our website, which offers people the chance to identify where instances of dog fouling occur. This allows our teams to target specific problem areas, in addition to routine year-round work which targets different locations throughout the year. As a result, we inform residents when increased patrols are taking place in their area.

"There is absolutely no excuse for dog fouling and we and encourage residents to report it."

Useful information, including names, addresses, car registration numbers, dates, times and locations, should be emailed to [email protected].

A spokesman for BARK, the Blackpool Association of Responsible K9s, said: "We are continuing to respond to our dog fouling reports, making sure areas have new signage and delivering letters with our Blackpool dog guide leaflets. If you wish to report a dog fouling issue please report either online or by contacting us on (01253) 477477."