Woman fined £100 on the spot after her dog didn't do a poo
A woman has been fined £100 by her local council despite her pet not doing a poo.
Paula spoke to the BBC after she was stopped by a council officer and handed a shocking fine while she walked her Welsh springer spaniel through Northampton town centre.
Although we're all aware of the most common laws that society must abide by, local councils seem to be targeting their constituents with some of the lesser known rules that you might find in the fine print.
One woman in London was fined £150 for pouring the last part of her coffee down the drain, which isn't half as annoying as the 'bare beating' trend which thousands of people are getting away with, despite many calling for hefty fines.
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But in Paula's case, many would argue that she hadn't done anything wrong, as it was the act of not having a poo bag that saw her land a significant fine, despite her dog not needing a number two at that specific time.
She recalled: "She'd already been out for her business that day and it was a very short walk through the town centre so I knew that she wasn't going to do anything.
"Unusually, I didn't have any in any of my pockets, and so I was unable to say that I had a poo bag with me.
"So what happened? I was fined on the spot, £100 for a poo she didn't do."
Like every other dog owner, Paula knew that it was a legal requirement to pick up after your dogs, however she didn't realise that you also have to have bags available at all times when out and about, due to a public spaces protection order.
She added: "I honestly thought that I would be giving words of advice, told off, told what the law was so that I knew for next time, but there was no movement."
Picking up after your dogs and disposing of their waste in the proper way is important, especially with all the warnings that have come about flushing them down your own toilet, but to be fined for not having something rather than doing something wrong seems particularly harsh.
Personally, I'd love to have the confidence in my own dog that she simply won't do a poo, as I find they always seem to come when you least expect it, but clearly Paula has a better trained pup than I do.
Still, that's a lesson to always have a poo bag, and probably a spare, somewhere on your person, even it's just to waft in the face of a council officer who tries to fine you.
A WNC spokesman said: “Dog fouling is a blight and serious health hazard and it’s really important that dog walkers always have the means to pick up after their pets. Most dog owners are responsible and pick up after their dogs but there are some who purposefully don’t - the risk of a fine if found not be carrying bags or not having a good reason for not having one is an effective deterrent.
"We would always encourage dog walkers to take multiple bags within them on a walk. The Public Space Protection Order received widespread support from local residents. Anyone who is fined can challenge it if they wish to do so.”
James Moorhouse