Council fouls up on dog fines

Why does it take ages for Mid Sussex District Council to implement its own council's decisions. In July 2008 the Council agreed to use the powers available to it under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, such as warnings and spot fines for those who allow dog fouling and loose dogs in public places, and issued a press release that it had now agreed to introduce these changes.

In the small print the 2008 press release actually went on to say these changes were a bit too revolutionary and it would only introduce them for the Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve and Leylands Park tip site in Burgess Hill as a pilot.

Now over a year later the Friends of Burgess Hill Green Circle are concerned at the amount of dog fouling on the reserve, and problems with loose dogs, including several attacks on sheep.

Why fourteen months later is this still with the council solicitors with no progress having been made on introducing these much needed changes?

The Council also has powers available to it under the 1996 Dog Fouling Act to monitor dog fouling and take action under this act to initiate court proceedings against any offenders. In 2006/07 Crawley Borough Council was able to levy five fixed penalty notices for dog fouling yet this does not seem possible in Mid Sussex.

Most dog owners are responsible and ensure their dog is properly controlled and clean up after it, however a small minority ignore these messages and need the warning of potential fines to ensure they act appropriately. This is particularly the case for areas such as Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve which needs to be carefully managed to ensure its popularity does not lead to reduced amenity as the reserve becomes more heavily used. There is nothing more dispiriting than coming across a pile of dog pooh in the middle of the pathway or probably worse a dog poop bag carefully collected and then thrown in a tree by some careless dog owner.