CHELMSFORD City Council has joined forces with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and is raising awareness of their Dog Watch campaign to try to diminish dog fouling in the City.

Dog fouling is a regular complaint received by the Council and the enforcement team notice an increase in the winter months as the evenings get darker earlier.

“Hot spot” dog fouling areas have been identified, including in Boreham, Writtle, Chelmer Village and South Woodham Ferrers.

And Dog Watch is launching today in a bid to raise the profile of this serious public health issue and encourage dog owners to pick up after their dog.

Enforcement officers will be undertaking additional targeted patrols in these areas and will also be carrying out letter drops in these areas and talking to dog walkers to reinforce the message that dog fouling will not be tolerated and those witnessed committing an offence will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £50 or prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

A Spokesperson from Boreham Parish Council said: “We acknowledge that the vast majority of dog owners in Boreham are responsible and clean up after their pets. Recent complaints about dog fouling however, have been taken seriously as we recognise that public space is intended to provide recreation opportunities for all residents of the village.

"Unfortunately a small minority of dog walkers are still failing to make use of the dog bin facilities provided and this is extremely unpleasant for those wishing to use the area for sports and other recreation."

The Council will be trialling a new dog bag dispenser in Boreham to make it easier for dog owners to pick up their dog’s mess. Whilst it’s preferable that dogs mess is placed in dedicated dog bins, if one is not available we would encourage dog walkers to take their bagged mess home with them or double bag the mess and place in a general litter bin.

Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Councillor Ian Grundy, said: "I am pleased to see that the Council is raising awareness of dog fouling, so we can try to keep our streets and parks clean. This campaign will urge witnesses of dog fouling to report it and will reinforce the message that offenders will be prosecuted."

The Council encourages residents to report dog fouling offences providing the enforcement team with as much information as possible with a view to making their targeted patrols successful.