Dog Fouling

Dog fouling is a national problem and many members of our community are affected by dog fouling which occurs in their local area and/or recreational areas. Legislation was introduced to make it an offence to allow your dog to foul public land and fail to clean it up immediately.

Text Service

The dog fouling text service enables residents to use their mobiles to send details of dog fouling mess and request a clean-up. The dog fouling text service number is 07792 701 583 and residents should give a precise location of the dog mess to enable the council’s team to locate it and clean it up as quickly as possible.

In many areas we have installed dog waste bins as a facility for responsible dog owners who clear up after their dogs. In addition, the use of litter bins for the disposal of dog waste is now permitted.

Our Neighbourhood Dog Wardens and Neighbourhood Wardens regularly patrol the Borough and where necessary will issue fixed penalty notices of £100 to any person who has allowed their dog to foul and failed to clear forthwith. If a Fixed Penalty Notice remains unpaid the matter will be referred to the Councils legal services for Court action. You can report dog fouling via My Erewash.

If you are regularly seeing someone allowing their dog to foul in a public place without cleaning it up you can complete a diary form. This will then be used to assist us with our patrols. Please contact us if you require one.

Please note that the information given is treated in the strictest confidence.

Enforcement of the Dog Fouling Law

Public Spaces Protection Orders make it is an offence to allow your dog to foul in a public place, without clearing it away immediately. You must also dispose of this properly.

Disposing of it properly means placing it in one of the bins provided by us or taking it home and putting placing inside your wheelie bin.

If you are regularly seeing someone allowing their dog to foul in a public place without cleaning it up, then you can pass this information onto our Neighbourhood Dog Warden Service on 0115 907 2244. Every dog fouling complaint is investigated. Our team will visit the area and apply temporary stencils to the pavements to remind people about the laws on dog fouling.

Prosecution of offenders

Our Neighbourhood Dog Wardens actively patrol the Borough to identify dog owners who do not clear up after their dog has fouled.

A fixed penalty notice of £100 will be issued to anyone who allows their dog to foul on public land.

We will actively prosecute anyone that does not discharge their liability to conviction in court, this could lead to further court fines.

How do I avoid being prosecuted?

  • If you have a garden encourage the dog to "go" at home. You can then bury the mess or alternatively clean it up and bin it.
  • If you walk your dog, always carry the means to clear up after your dog. A simple plastic bag will do the trick or obtain a poop scoop from your local pet shop.
  • Remember to take a bag or poop scoop like you'd remember a lead. Every time your dog fouls "bag it and bin it".
  • Remember rain does not wash the problem away.
  • Never let your dog out alone to 'go to the loo.'

Contact us:

Complete an on-line form through your My Erewash account.

Pride-line: 0115 850 8383 (24 hour confidential hot-line). Our Pride in Erewash campaign has a confidential 24-hour hotline which gives residents the power to tackle environmental crime in their local area.