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Watford Borough Council
Dog and animal fouling
It is an offence for an owner not to clear up after their pet in Watford's public areas. Failure to clear up can result in prosecution and a fine.
You can now report incidences of dog and animal fouling online.
It is an offence for a person in charge of a dog to fail, when his or her dog fouls, to remove the faeces from the land immediately. The maximum penalty for this is £1,000.
Being unaware that the dog has fouled, or not having a device for removing the faeces, is not a reasonable excuse for failing to remove it.
Initially, warning letters may be sent to offenders, or fixed penalty notices issued. However, after repeated offending, prosecutions will be undertaken.
If you know of an area where there is always dog fouling, or you know of people who regularly let their dog foul, please contact the Council with full details or report the incident online so that we may follow up the offence.
In order to inform people of the legislation, warning signs are displayed throughout the borough.
The land covered by the Dog Fouling Protection Order is:
- All parks, open spaces, play areas, allotment sites and cemeteries owned by the Council
- All amenity greens and landscaped areas maintained by the Council within housing estates
- All roads, pavements, roadside verges, greens, football and cycle paths, except: private roads and footpaths not mentioned below, and roads with a speed limit exceeding 40mph
- The following private roads owned by the Council:
- Cardiff Road Industrial Estate
- Southern half of Occupation Road
- Callowland Close
- Service Road between High Street and Rosslyn Road
- Peace Prospect
- The pedestrian areas of Charter Place
The Council produces "yuk!" posters for areas not covered by the Dog Fouling Protection Order. These posters provide basic information on dog fouling. The posters can be placed on private property like gates, walls, fences. The posters are available from Environmental Services on 01923 278503, or follow the link to download it.
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