Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet have approved extending the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to include banning all dogs from council owned marked sports pitches.
Since the introduction of the PSPO in October 2017 over 2136 complaints of dog fouling have been investigated. 64 Fixed Penalty Notices have been served for either dog fouling or for failing to carry bags to clean up dog waste. There have also been 28 prosecutions of those who refused to pay the fine.
A ten-week consultation with residents and key stakeholders including Gwent Police, Dogs Trust, the Kennel Club was held earlier this year. 85% of respondents agreed with the current restrictions and 54% agreed with the proposal to extend the order to ban dogs from marked sports pitches.
The main reason given for supporting the proposal were to ensure a safe and clean environment for children and adults to exercise and to further encourage responsible dog ownership. Sports clubs also highlighted how often games are delayed or halted to deal with dog excrement on the pitch.
The amended PSPO will be enforced by Enforcement officers and Community Safety Wardens employed by the council and will be in place all year and not specific to sports seasons.
Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet member for Waste, Public Protection and Street Scene said “The order at present allows dogs to foul anywhere in an open space, provided their owner or walker clears up after them.
“As a result, you have a situation where sports clubs and others have to clean up dog mess before they can use pitches.
“This is unacceptable and why we have approved extending the PSPO to include excluding dogs from marked sports pitches.”
