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Doubling dog poo problem is 'not nice for anyone'

Asha Patel & Jake Garner
BBC News, Nottingham
BBC A couple in their 70s, in Keyworth. Jackie, left, is a white woman wearing a yellow padded coat with blonde hair and large black sunglasses. She is carrying a small dog wearing a multi-coloured harness. Paul is wearing a black hooded coat with a blue fleece underneath and a brown hat. BBC
Jackie and Paul Benson said they always carried multiple bags and kitchen paper in their pockets as it was "just something you do" when you had a dog

Would you rather pay a £100 fine or pick up your dog's poo with your bare hands?

In a corner of Nottinghamshire where dog fouling seems to be a growing problem, one ill-prepared man chose the latter, said councillor Rob Inglis.

Rushcliffe Borough Council said it had received nearly 40 reports of dog fouling across the borough since 1 January - more than doubling its previous monthly average of 10.

Inglis, who deals with environment and safety, said the reports to the council were just "the tip of the iceberg".

The council wants to renew its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which excludes Tollerton, that was introduced three years ago to address dog control in the borough.

It gives the authority power to issue on-the-spot fines of £100, or people can face a prosecution fine of up to £1,000.

The village of Keyworth has been identified as a particular hotspot in recent months.

A close-up of a warning sticker on a lamp-post from Rushcliffe Borough Council, telling people it is an offence not to clean up dog poo.
A public consultation to renew a PSPO will end in March

Jackie and Paul Benson, both in their 70s, regularly walk through the village and said they had noticed an increase in dog poo on their route.

"We've seen some people pick up, but, you know - some of the excrement that's come out of a dog has been the size of a human being's - so I understand the upset [when people don't]," Mrs Benson said.

Mr Benson added: "Picking up what [your dog] does is part and parcel of it, and that's what you have to accept when you take on a dog in the first place.

"I think that the problem with a lot of people is they see it as too much trouble."

Susan Cannell, a white woman in her 60s, wearing a black coat and a printed black and white scarf underneath, and a yellow woolly hat. She is sitting in a bus stop shelter.
Susan Cannell believes the problem has worsened after being addressed a few years ago

Susan Cannell, a villager of 15 years, said she watched one walker leave their dog's mess in her garden.

"It was bad a few years back, but then we got it all sorted, but it's started coming back again, and down the street where I live, there's quite a bit.

"It's not nice for anyone," she said.

She added most people followed the rules but thought catching the culprits was difficult.

The council is currently holding a public consultation on a proposal to renew its PSPO in July.

But 93-year-old resident David Potter was not convinced powers to issue a financial penalty helped.

'Be responsible'

"I don't think the fine will do any good because - how are they going to catch them":[]}