Dog owners across Cornwall are being warned to clear up after their pets and properly dispose of dog poo bags, after complaints that some disgusting dog owners are tying full bags to fences.

Cornwall Council has recently received complaints from the public particularly about dog poo bags being left at beaches, where there have been reports of bags "left hanging on lifeguard stations and fences".

Senior environmental health officer, Kevin Brader, said: “We are receiving reports that whilst dog owners are picking up after their pets, they are then leaving the bags and not disposing of them either by taking them home or holding on to them and putting them in a bin. It is important that once the mess has been collected that it is disposed of in an appropriate waste bin.”

Dog poo bags can be put in standard litter bins as well as dog waste bins.

If caught, dog owners seen not picking up after their dog has fouled or littering by not properly disposing of the bagged waste, will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £80.

All officers within the council’s community and environmental protection teams are authorised to serve fixed penalty notices, as are police Officers, PCSOs and some town and parish council officers.

Members of the public are asked to report offenders who do not pick up after their dogs. This can be done on the Cornwall Council website by clicking on the ‘report it’ link on the home page at www.cornwall.gov..uk; via the Council’s Facebook page by clicking on the Report It button, or by calling 0300 1234 212.

Information that is useful when reporting includes: #

  • Time, date and location of the offence.
  • Name and address of the offender (if known)
  • Description of dog
  • Registration number of the offenders vehicle (if appropriate)

If a member of the public provides sufficient information to proceed then a fixed penalty notice can be issued retrospectively.