Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on dog fouling; and whether they provide guidance to local councils on the penalties for dog fouling.

It is unacceptable for people not to clean up after their dogs and we are giving local councils the tools they need to tackle this anti-social behaviour.

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) allow councils to require dog owners to pick up their dog’s faeces. Those who breach the terms of a PSPO may be prosecuted, which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000 on conviction. Alternatively, the council can issue a fixed penalty notice. As part of the Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, we will be increasing the upper limit on these fixed penalty notices to £500, up from the current maximum of £100.

The Government has published practitioners' guidance on dealing with irresponsible dog ownership, which covers the use of PSPOs. Copies of this manual and its annexes are attached to this answer.