Woman fined for not cleaning up after dog

A LLANELLI woman has been fined £200 and must pay £100 court costs for failing to clean up after her dog.

Lisa Williams, aged 22, of Gwelfor, Penygraig, was convicted in absence of an offence contrary to the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 at Carmarthen Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that on Tuesday, August 16 last year, Tidy Towns (a partnership between the council and Keep Wales Tidy, funded by Welsh Government) held a ‘bring and take’ community sk ip day at Penygraig.

Williams was seen walking her dog and failing to clean up after her pet by three different witnesses attending the event. All three advised her to clean up the dog mess explaining she could be fined and one of the witnesses even gave her a bag. However, she just walked away and left the mess behind.

The incident was reported to the council’s environmental enforcement officers and Williams was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75.

However, she failed to pay it, despite two reminder letters sent to her home address, and was prosecuted in court as a result. As well as the fine and prosecution costs, Williams was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15.

The council now hopes this case will act as a warning to others that anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog will be punished.

Enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols across the county and the maximum fine that can be imposed by magistrates is £1,000.

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “Dog faeces left anywhere is a serious health risk, the majority of residents take their responsibilities seriously but there is still a small minority who do not listen. This type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those caught flouting the law will be prosecuted. The council is committed to improving the environment for both residents and visitors.”