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Cambridgeshire has cleaned up the dirty issue of dog fouling with a countywide zero-tolerance approach.

East Cambridgeshire has fallen in with the rest of the county by issuing £80 fixed penalty fines to dog owners who allow pets to defecate in secluded spots.

Environmental officers can now issue the fines anyone who does not clean up dog dirt in all public spaces, from roads and pavements to secluded farm land, woodland, common land, or roadside verges.

East Cambridgeshire District Council Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) Dog Fouling 2018 came into force on Tuesday October 2 and will replace current Dogs (Fouling of Land in East Cambridgeshire) Act 1997.

Assistance and support dogs are excluded from the restrictions.

Ahead of the decision, Anna Bailey, chair of the Regulatory Services Committee and deputy leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The majority of dog owners are responsible.

"However, there are a small minority of people who do not clear up after their dogs.

"We have a commitment to make our district a great place to live, work and visit and the changes proposed in this consultation will increase our ability to protect those who use public spaces and hold offenders to account.

"The public spaces protection order will cover more areas of land, reduce inconsistencies and help to provide a clearer, simpler system for the public to understand. I would like to encourage residents to get involved and have their say on this district-wide issue.”

Ms Bailey added the implementation of the order follows an "ongoing saga of complaints".

Cambridgeshire's crack-down on dog fouling

The move sees East Cambridgeshire fall in line with the rest of the county, but for it to work the authority will have to rely on members of the public to submit picture or video evidence of people 'caught in the act'.

Cambridge City Council implemented its dog control PSPO last October, which includes enforcement officers being able to issue fixed penalties for dog fouling.

In the magistrates' court the maximum fine for committing an offence under the Public Spaces Protection Order is currently £1,000. Alternatively, the alleged offender may be offered the opportunity to pay a £75 fixed penalty notice as an alternative to prosecution.

Meanwhile the fixed penalty notice for dog fouling in South Cambridgeshire is £75. This fine has been set at this level for several years and since its implementation instances of dog fouling have more than halved from 68 in 2015 to 30 in 2016.