Where Northumberland Council ranks in list of dog fouling fines handed out in last four years

Research by Kennelstore has found that Northumberland County Council has issued the fourth largest amount of fines for dog fouling.

The study, which covered 243 local authorities, found that the Council has given out 319 fines since 2017 who did not pick up their dog's mess.

Newcastle City Council ranked 95th with ten fines over the same time frame, while South Tyneside Council issued the same.

Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council totalled 22 fines over the same period while North Tyneside Council is not included in the data.

If someone in Northumberland is found guilty of not picking up after their dog, they can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100. If this is not received within 14 days the individual will be prosecuted.

The council also claim to target hotspot areas in patrols, occurring across early mornings, evening and weekends.

Residents can also report an incident of dog fouling on the Council’s website.

The fixed penalty notice is also in action across Newcastle, with the City Council claiming repeat offenders and those who are found to be uncooperative will be referred to the magistrates' court.

The City Council also has an online system for anyone to report instances of dog fouling.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council topped the ratings with a staggering 445 fines for the offence since 2017, followed by Wirral Council with 430 fines and Burnley Borough Council with 366.