Dogwalker fined £415 for mess on beach

9:38am Saturday 5th July 2008

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A dogwalker who left his pet's mess on a beach has been tracked down by a spying dog warden and ordered by court to pay £415 in fines and costs.

Barry Barnes, of Arundel Drive, Littlehampton, pleaded guilty on June 25 to an offence of failing to remove dog faeces from designated land at Climping Beach, near Littlehampton.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £200 in costs to Arun District Council which took out the case against him. He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £15.

Councillor Paul Wotherspoon, Arunís cabinet member for environment, said: "This sends a clear message to anyone who is irresponsible enough not to clean up after their dog, that both the council and the courts take this matter very seriously."

Mr Barnes was caught by a patrolling dog warden after the offence on January 30.

The official spotted one of Mr Barnes' dogs defecating on grass at Climping Beach car park in full view of its owner, who made no attempt to clean up after the animal.

The warden approached him but he refused to remove the dog's mess or give a name and address.

Instead the official noted down the man's number plate and went back to his office where he ran a search using the DVLA's database.

The council then contacted Mr Barnes at his home and started court proceedings against him.

Coun Wotherspoon said: "Not only did the owner fail to clean up after his animal, he refused to cooperate with the dog warden, whose job it is to try and make sure that our parks and streets are free of this unpleasant and unhygienic material.

He said residents had made clear that making their area clean was a top priority and the council would do all it could to ensure inconsiderate owners did not spoil public areas.

The council's officers have issued 46 fixed penalty notices for dog fouling and littering in the past 12 months.

Coun Wotherspoon said: "In this instance, we chose to prosecute in the magistratesí court because of the obstructive behaviour of the defendant."

Under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 council officers can issue £50 fines to anyone leaving their animalsí waste in public. Failure to cooperate with uniformed inspectors can lead to prosecutions with maximum fines of up to £1,000.

Several areas have considered banning dogs from beaches in recent months. Last month Brighton and Hove City Council decided against plans to ban dogs from the seafront during the summer. Adur District Council has proposed a dog ban from some of its public spaces starting next year.