Wigan on top of the pile when it comes to public dog poo incidents in the North West in 2021 - but not a single fine was handed out

While it’s not a pleasant task, picking up your dog’s poo is an important part of being a responsible dog owner and is legally required. Dogs in the UK produce over 3,000 tonnes of poo every day, and when left on the ground can pose serious hazards to other dogs, the environment, wildlife, and humans.

With this in mind, Petplan wanted to explore the scale of Great Britain’s dog fouling problem and discover the council areas in which the issue is most prevalent and on the increase. Freedom of information requests were sent to 101 councils in England, Scotland, and Wales to find out.

FOI requests asked councils to supply figures on dog fouling incidents that were reported to the council. Depending on the council, figures received might include: incidents reported to the council by a member of the public; incidents where a council officer has witnessed a dog fouling and it has not been cleaned up by the owner; and incidents related to dog poo (for example, dog poo bins overflowing).

The analysis was completed in June 2022.

How many incidents in Wigan?

Research revealed there were 534 dog fouling incidents in Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council in 2021 – but NO fines were handed out.

The number of households per local council area was sourced from the Office for National Statistics and used 2019 figures, Wigan’s figures equating to 389 incidents per 100 thousand households.

Salford came in second place with 417 incidents, followed by Tameside (365), Sefton (334), Rochdale (243), Oldham (216), Preston (206), Carlisle (185), Lancaster (169), St Helens (77) and Wirrall (24).

How many fines were handed out in the North West?

A mere 10 fines were handed out, seven in Carlisle and three in Oldham.

What about the rest of the country?

Across the UK, in the Nottingham City Council area, 1,200 incidents related to dog poo were reported in 2021 – that’s more than anywhere else in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands came second in with 1,051 incidents.

What’s been said?

John Read, founder of Clean Up Britain, said: “The obvious thing someone can do if they see a dog owner not clearing up after their dogs is to say, ‘excuse me, I think you’ve left something behind’.

"Obviously, that can be done in a very polite and respectful way. That’s the sort of thing you can do when you witness someone littering, as well. Usually, you’ll get two responses: someone can be antisocial, or they will become very embarrassed and sheepish because they know they’re in the wrong and they’ve been caught out.

“With littering – and dog fouling is a form of littering – we need people to be more respectful of each other and the environment, and have pride in the area they live. Nowadays, one problem we have is that people aren’t respectful to each other – and dog fouling is symptomatic of that. It’s antisocial, selfish, and irresponsible to leave behind your dog’s mess and be happy enough to let other people walk into it.

"Unfortunately, people who do that need to be fined. They’re not living to the standards that a civilised society should maintain and aspire to.”