It’s claimed dog owners in Clare who are failing to clean up after their pet are doing a disservice to themselves and other dog owners across the county.
There’s growing concern over a worsening dog fouling issue across the county,
Clare County Council says it’s Waste Enforcement Team is aware of the issue and has implemented numerous initiatives to encourage people to clean up after their pet.
These include free dog bags, patrols by the Waste Enforcement Team and signage among others.
But Ennis Fine Gael Councillor Mary Howard says it’s not having a big enough impact.
The local authority has warned that fines will be issued where there’s sufficient evidence available to enforce the Litter Pollution Act.
But despite this, only eight fines were issued throughout Clare over the five years from 2018, with 1200 euro collected by the local authority, and none have been issued so far this year.
One North Clare Councillor says the problem is that to issue a fine, the act has to be witnessed and dog ownership proven, something he believes is a difficult link for any warden to establish.
Ennistymon Fianna Fáil Councillor Shane Talty says there would likely have to be a change in legislation in order for fines to be an effective deterrent.
Clare County Council says while most dog-owners are law-abiding, it will continue to highlight the issue and aim to change the behaviour of dog-owners who flout the law and fail to comply with good dog-owner responsibilities.
