Dog waste and fouling

Dog Fouling and How We Deal With It

Apart from being an unpleasant nuisance if you step in it, dog mess can be a health hazard.

Both dog and cat faeces can contain the eggs of roundworm 'Toxicara'. These eggs can survive in the soil for several years.

If they are ingested or inhaled by humans, they may cause eye, liver, brain and breathing problems such as Asthma, Hepititis and Epilepsy.

Children playing in fouled recreation areas are most at risk. Dog waste is a potential health risk to farmers' livestock if you allow your dog to foul in their fields.

To reduce the risk of 'toxicara' it is important to worm your dogs regularly. Cats, although they do foul, are not included in the legislation therefore we are unable to take any action regarding cat faeces.

What we do

We encourage responsible dog owners to pick up their dog's mess and dispose of it suitably wrapped, along with the rest of their domestic waste in their wheelie bin.

We have a relatively small number of specialised bins in our public recreation areas and locations known to be popular with dog owners. We empty these regularly. You can also put bagged dog waste in over 700 street litter bins within our district.

How you can help

You can help us rid the district of dog poop by reporting it to us. We need to know:

• where it happened
• when it happened
• who was responsible
• any extra information, such as breed.

For more information on making a complaint and links to our report it page, please see the below documents

Report dog fouling

Report a dog control issue

Report a stray dog