JUST 10 dog-owners were fined for dog fouling in Kirklees last year – despite 678 complaints being made.
And figures show that only five of the 10 paid the fixed penalty notice charge of £50.
Kirklees Council is now pursuing three of them through the court system for non-payment of the fines.
The number relates to complaints made to the council from April 1 to December 10 – the latest figures available.
In 2009 21 fixed penalty notices were served and two who failed to pay were taken to court and fined by magistrates. But figures show there had been 1,176 complaints made from April 1 2009 to March 31, 2010.
Jill Partington, spokeswoman from campaign group Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Having communities caked in dog fouling is disgusting and dangerous.
“We recently campaigned about this after a toddler lost partial sight in one eye through contracting toxocariasis through falling in dog mess.
“There is no excuse for owners not to pick up after their pets.
“It is simple, bag it and put it in any bin.”
A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council said that incidents ranged throughout the district and there was not one particular place for offending.
He added: “The fine currently stands at £50 for dog fouling offence, issued as a fixed penalty notice.
“If matter goes to court the maximum penalty is £1,000 but magistrates are unlikely to impose the full amount – usually there is a fine of £50.”
Dog fouling, like flytipping, is classed by the Home Office as a form of anti-social behaviour, but it is dealt with by the local authority rather than police as it’s an environmental matter.
Kirklees Council is one of 96 local authorities who have signed up to a campaign by Keep Britain Tidy with the slogan ‘There’s no such thing as the dog poo fairy’.
The reduction in incidents reported comes after the council signed up to the Keep Britain Tidy scheme last year, pledging to work with housing officers, landlords, Neighbourhood Forums and pet shops to promote the anti-dog- fouling message.
