Dog owners in Wandsworth targeted in tough new measures

Dog owners across the UK face fines for not doing their duty and cleaning up after their pet when out walking it, but now dog lovers in a London borough are facing much tougher rules and regulations. Wandsworth Council has introduced tough new measures as part of a campaign to clean up the area and reduce the instances of accidents involving dogs.

As of last week, dog owners face an on the spot £80 fixed penalty if they fail to clean up any mess that their pet makes in a public place. Alternatively, they may be summonsed to appear before a magistrate’s court to face charges. Dog mess is not the only thing to have been targeted by officials in Wandsworth: from now on, all dog owners must keep their dog on a short leash when walking it on a public highway, including all residential streets and town centres.

The tough new measures have now been set in stone after Wandsworth Council phased them in during a period of “public education and awareness”.

Although the majority of dog owners are responsible and make sure their pets wear a dog collar, and have undergone some form of dog training, a minority or irresponsible owners still exist, and these are the people whom the Council are targeting. Although all local councils across the United Kingdom have a system in place to take punitive measures against such irresponsible dog owners, it is not known if any other councils, apart from Wandsworth, will be toughening up their rules.

Mark James