Monmouthshire dog walkers could be fined for having no poo bags

Dog owners caught without poo bags could be fined if a new rule is introduced in Monmouthshire

Dog walkers in one part of Wales could be fined if they leave the house without bags to pick up their pets' poo.

The idea is being considered by councillors in Monmouthshire as part of new controls on dogs in public places.

Other requirements could include keeping dogs on leads and a ban on dogs in children's play areas.

But concerns were raised about how the new rules would be funded and enforced.

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At a committee meeting to discuss the proposals, councillor Su McConnel said a requirement to carry dog poo bags could make enforcement easier.

"It will mean you don't have to catch them, you can approach and say 'do you have the bags?' For that reason I think it's a really good idea," Ms McConnel said.

The council discussed how the rule could be enforced

But Ms McConnel said she was concerned about whether the council had enough staff to enforce the rules.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the proposed new rule is worded as: "A person in charge of a dog must have with them an appropriate means to pick up any faeces deposited by that dog, and must produce this if requested to do so by an authorised officer."

The committee chair, Lisa Dymock, said whether or not a dog owner carries poo bags "indicates the intention to pick up after your dog, if not you obviously don't have the intention to do so."

Another councillor, Jane Lucas, said though she "absolutely agreed" with Ms Dymock she wanted to know what would happen if a dog owner said they had run out of bags.

Ms Dymock replied: "That can happen, as a dog owner, there will be times you're caught short and I've had to drive back to where the dog did its business."

Huw Owen, the council's principle environmental health officer, said the local authority had tried "proactive patrols" more than a decade ago to combat dog fouling but they were not "efficient or effective".

The council is due to hold further public consultation on what regulations it should introduce. The committee will consider the issue again before a report is brought to the cabinet for a decision.