Warrington council set to adopt dog controls

Warrington Borough Council is to adopt a public space protection order (PSPO) for dog fouling and control, reports suggest.

The order, which is set to take effect on 1 April 2024, proposes the borough-wide offence of failing to remove dog faeces ‘without reasonable excuse’, the offence of failing to keep a dog on a lead ‘without reasonable excuse’ on the land identified, and the borough-wide offence of ‘failure to comply with a direction given by an authorised officer to put and keep the dog(s) on a lead’.

The council’s cabinet has been recommended to approve the adoption of the fixed penalty notice (FPN) for breach of the order ‘at the maximum level of £100 with no discount’, to delegate authority to issue FPNs ‘in accordance with the scheme of delegation’, and to ‘approve officers to authorise Police Community Support Officers in consultation with Cheshire Constabulary’.

In May, the council opened a 12-week consultation for residents to have their say on ways to control dog-related issues.