Dog fouling offenders have nowhere to hide

Research shows dog fouling tends to occur at night because some pet owners know they will not be seen under the cover of darkness.

Now in a bid to deter offending, glow-in-the-dark signs with a pair of menacing eyes and the slogan ‘We’re watching you’ will be put up at parks and open spaces across Havant and Waterlooville.

Havant Borough Council has teamed up with the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy for the scheme, which launches on Monday.

A pilot scheme elsewhere showed incidents of dog fouling fell by almost a half when the posters were used.

Councillor Tony Briggs, who is responsible for environment in Havant borough, said: ‘Feedback from residents has told us that we have hot spots of dog fouling in the borough that they would like to see addressed.

‘We know that the public perceive dog fouling to be by far the most unacceptable and dirtiest type of litter.

‘The vast majority of dog owners are responsible people, who habitually pick up after their dog and dispose of the poo bags correctly, either in the nearest bin or by taking home to dispose of in their own household waste bin.

‘We are thrilled to be working with Keep Britain Tidy and being a part of such a cutting-edge campaign.’

The authority has made its mission to make the borough a cleaner place to live and work.

Last year council wardens went out to spray dog poo pink in a bid to raise awareness of the problem.

And wardens in plain clothes have been patrolling open spaces to catch offenders and give out £75 fines.

Since last May more than 3,700 fines have been given out for dropping cigarette ends and 122 for general litter.

Fines are also being given out to people who leave binbags on the highway.

Cleaning up litter is currently costing the authority more than £1m a year.

Cllr Briggs said he hoped the posters would help reduce this figure. He added: ‘We hope we will see the same results as the local authorities who have already signed up to the campaign.’