Flintshire council dog mess DNA database pooh-poohed

A bid to use dog DNA to find and fine people who do not clean up after their pets in Flintshire has been recommended to be thrown out.

A scrutiny committee has called on the council cabinet to give up on the controversial project, first mooted in 2015.

Under the proposals, owners would allow their dogs to have cheek swabs taken and their details put on a database.

The council has also been looking at creating designated areas for dogs.

The scheme has already proved successful in parts of the United States and has been introduced in a London borough.

Barking and Dagenham council saw a reduction in dog waste in its pilot area and is now expanding the scheme.

In Flintshire, an existing requirement, known as a Dog Control Order, requires owners to remove their dog's waste from public areas.

However, the authority has been looking at the creation of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which provides an "opportunity for enforcement against other designated offences", such as the complete exclusion of dogs from a defined area like children's play areas.

But a meeting of the authority's environment overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday agreed to recommend the idea was shelved.

However, members of the council's cabinet could still approve it when they next meet.