Laois dog fouling owners avoid €150 fines due to 'no clear evidence'

It was a case of not picking up and not paying up, for three dog owners in Laois recently.

Despite the launch of a new awareness campaign against dog waste and complaints made,  the dog owners got off with a warning and some free dog litter bags.

They had been identified by members of the public who made formal complaints to Laois County Council's Environment section.

In all four complaints were made last June, all in the Portlaoise area.

This compared to zero complaints in June 2020, and follows the launch of a new Dog waste awareness campaign by the local authority.

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The fine for not cleaning up dog waste is €150, rising to thousands if the owner is convicted in court.

However the owners still escaped having to pay up.

The environment section told the Leinster Express what happened.

"The 4 incidences happened in June 2021 compared to 0 reported June 2020.  Each case was logged, all Portlaoise Area, and in 3 cases the owners of the dogs were identified confidentially."   

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The spokesperson said that an environment staff member called out to the homes of the dog owners identified.

"John Ging called to the owners premises and gave a verbal warning along with information and doggie bags on responsible dog ownership.

"As we had no clear evidence in these instances, no fine was issued." 

The Laois Litter Hotline is 1800 32 32 30

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