Woman prosecuted for dog fouling offence thanks to member of public

A LLANELLI woman has prosecuted for a dog fouling offence after being reported by a member of the public.

Claire Judith Davies, aged 33, of Waterloo Street, pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 3 of the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 at Carmarthen Magistrates Court.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that on May 22 last year a member of the public saw Davies failing to clean up her dog’s mess in Waterloo Street.

The incident was reported to the council’s environmental enforcement team and a witness statement was taken.

Davies was issued with a fixed penalty notice for the offence; however, she failed to pay it within the specified time and was prosecuted in court as a result.

She was fined £75 by magistrates and ordered to pay £150 towards prosecution costs plus a £15 victim surcharge.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said he hopes the case will encourage more people to take action and report offences.

The council has launched a ‘Dog Watch’ scheme so that people can easily report offenders either via the website or by phone.

He said: “We are urging the public to please report any dog fouling in their area so that we can take action against offenders.

“Our enforcement officers have to cover the whole county and they cannot be everywhere at once, which is why the help of the public is vital.

“If the message gets out that the residents can take direct action to report offences, dog owners are far more likely to behave responsibly.”

To report dog fouling please call Carmarthenshire Direct on 01267 234567 or complete the online form at www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/dogfouling