Dog Fouling

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The Environmental Wardens have been very helpful in the past and are prepared to issue warnings and penalties to anyone found responsible. Either contact them direct, or via the Parish Clerk.

The current warden is Colin Marshall, 01235 520202, .

In 2009 one person in Harwell was fined £50 by the Dog Wardens after their dogs fouled the neighbourhood.

Dog Fouling

Dog Walkers

From the Harwell News, Jan 2010 The Parish Council would like to thank all those responsible walkers who clean up after their dogs have fouled and put their bags in the designated bins. There are still some people however who are not abiding by these simple requests and there is a great deal of evidence particularly on the playing areas of un-cleared dog mess. There is evidence to support that some people are bringing more than four dogs (and even five in some cases) to exercise and are not able to control them while they all run about. We do not want to have to consider banning dog walkers from our recreation ground but we are not prepared either to jeopardize the health and safety of young sports people and others on our football and rugby pitches. We will be taking a great deal of notice therefore over the next few months and monitoring the situation. Please help us to stamp out this revolting practice.

There's also a mention in the February 2009 Harwell News (page 1, column 2) about dog fouling, especially in Jenning's Lane.

Here's what the Thames Valley Police say (Jan 2010):

Dog Fouling Issue

Dog mess is not only unpleasant but it spreads diseases which can cause illness and even blindness.

Under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 a person who is in charge of a dog must clean up after it when it fouls any footpath, highway, verge or other open space to which the public have access.

It is a crime to allow your dog to foul in any public area without cleaning it up. By doing so you could face a fixed penalty notice of £50 and if the case is prosecuted in court, then this may incur a fine of upto £1000.

In order to ensure that you do not fall foul of the law simply follow these pointers:

Never let your dog walk a great distance from you as this makes it difficult to see when they foul.
Always carry a bag when walking your dog so you can clean up after it. If you have for some reason forgotten a bag or unexpectedly used your last one, do not hesitate to ask another nearby dog walker for one.
Encourage your dog to stay on the perimeters of fields or pitches to ensure that remnants of the fouling do not cause any harm to innocent bystanders.
Do not just park up next to a public area and let your dog roam on its own. This dangerous practice could result in not only a fixed penalty for your dog's fouling – your dog could also be taken away as a stray. A collar and ID tag are also required by law.

If you see another dog owner committing this offence please keep a record their description, date/time it happened and their name & address (if known) to the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Environment Wardens on 01235 520202 or email .