Two dog fouling fines paid in three-year period in Mayo

JUST two fines for dog fouling were paid to Mayo County Council in the last three years.

One fine was paid in both 2018 and '19, with none last year.

Councillor Patsy O'Brien tabled a notice of motion calling on the local authority to make available how much was paid in fines for dog fouling in 2020.

His request was made after a lot of people contacted him about the issue, including one wheelchair user.

He was 'disappointed' to hear there were only two fines in 2018 and '19, while the figure for last year could be forgiven, he said.

Councillor O'Brien said there are a lot of extra dogs in the county and he requested figures on the number of licences that have issued in Mayo.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne asked why are fines not being issued. It was a serious matter if someone was in a wheelchair or where a child picks the mess up.

His colleague, Councillor Christy Hyland, said realistically it was 'next to impossible' to prove and impose fines.

Councillor O'Brien was told 2020 had been a challenging year in the delivery of services due to Covid and restrictions placed on staff. The focus has been to tackle increased levels of waste and fly-tipping.

Despite dog fouling being an offence, to which a €150 fine applies, it was an incredibly difficult issue to enforce.

In a written reply, he was told: 'Enforcement officers rely on persons reporting dog fouling acts to sign a witness statement for the matter to proceed and there is often a reluctance to proceed at this stage.'

The environment office has carried out numerous educational and awareness campaigns, appealing to dog owners to be socially responsible.