Dog owners in East Cambridgeshire could be slapped with an £80 fine if they fail to clean up after their pets, under a new order.

Dog owners in East Cambridgeshire could be slapped with an £80 fine if they fail to clean up after their pets, under a new order.

It comes as 150 complaints about dog fouling have been received in the last year, with 25 new areas of the district reported as ‘potential hotspots’ in the last six months.

The public space protection order (PSPO) would initially run for three years and could see owners taken to court if they fail to pay up.

Environment bosses at East Cambs District Council say ‘it is important that the council retains a means to control such issues which involves educating dog owners but also taking appropriate enforcement action where necessary’.

The PSPO is set to get the rubber stamp at the Regulatory Services Committee meeting on June 4.

The report states: “The majority of dog owners are responsible and appropriately clear up after their pets. However the fact remains that a small minority of people still allow their dogs to foul and do not remove it.

“The PSPO for dog fouling will cover more areas of land, reduce inconsistencies and will help to provide a clearer, simpler system for the public to understand.

“It will be district wide condition requiring dog faeces to be picked up and appropriately taken away or disposed of in a suitable bin.”

The conditions of the PSPO would not apply to guide dogs or assistance dogs, but would cover ‘any section the public has access, on payment or otherwise, as of right or by virtue of express or implied permission’.

The current fine for dog fouling offences is set at £75.

But the Environmental Offences Regulations 2017, which came into force on April 1 this year, allows for the charge to be increased to £80.

A Public Space Protection Order is an order which bans specific acts in a designated area in UK as set out in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

They are mainly used as an anti-social deterrent.

Meanwhile, just across the border in Wimblington, a ‘dog poo patrol project’ was set up earlier this year to tackle the rise in dog fouling.