No dog fouling fines issues in Tipperary in first ten months of last year

More than 200 complaints about litter were made to Tipperary County Council in 2023, this newspaper can reveal.

Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that the local authority received 228 complaints in relation to littering last year.

The council stated that this figure includes complaints received for littering, including fly tipping (49) and small-scale dumping (35), but not large-scale illegal dumping complaints.

Tipperary County Council also received 25 complaints in relation to dog fouling in 2023, according to the data obtained under FOI.

In December 2023, Tipperary Live revealed that Tipperary County Council handed out 105 fines for litter offences and collected almost €5,000 in litter fine payments in the first 10 months of last year.

However, the local authority issued no dog fouling fines in the same period.

Addressing the lack of dog fouling fines issued, a spokesperson for the local authority said:

“The current legal framework makes this a complex area and an offence can be difficult to prove.

DOG FOULING

“An officer of the local authority would need to witness the dog fouling, establish ownership of the dog and can have difficulties obtaining owners names/address.

“The council will endeavour to fine any dog owner where a dog fouling incident is witnessed by an enforcement officer of the council.

“Tipperary County Council is extremely aware of the negative effects that dog fouling can have,” the spokesperson added.

“Not only is it unsightly, it can also have detrimental health consequences for the public, especially for young children.

“Tipperary County Council is committed to tackling the scourge of dog fouling, by engaging with the public, raising awareness and trying to change behaviour, and stresses that dog fouling is not acceptable.”

AWARENESS

The spokesperson also highlighted a number of Tipperary County Council initiatives that rolled out in 2023, aimed at raising awareness and tackling the problem of dog fouling.

The spokesperson concluded by stating that information for dog owners in relation to their responsibility is available on the Tipperary County Council website.

“Tipperary County Council is committed to working hard to tackle dog fouling issues and will continue to raise awareness of the responsibilities of dog owners through campaigns and initiatives in 2024,” said a spokesperson.