Dog wardens

We deal with stray dogs, nuisance caused by dogs - including dog mess - and education to encourage responsible ownership of dogs. A contractor deals with these issues on our behalf. An emergency service is provided outside of office hours.

Dog fouling

The law requires owners to clean up after their dogs in public places. Our dog wardens enforce this under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996.

There will always be a small number of inconsiderate people who fail to clean up after their dog. We take this matter very seriously and will fine or prosecute offenders where the incident is witnessed by our dog wardens, or sufficient evidence is supplied by a member of the public.

We can issue fixed penalty fines of £50, or the maximum fine following prosecution in the Magistrates Court is £1000, if you allow your dog to foul in a public place and you fail to clean it up straight away.

Dog owners should always take a bag with them to clear up. A small number of free poop bags are available from the council offices. Plastic sacks can also be purchased from most supermarkets and pet shops and nappy sacks are a popular and inexpensive alternative.

If you are annoyed by dog fouling then please help us track down the offenders. We will take action against offenders, but we require the help of the public because we cannot monitor everywhere all of the time. If you witness an offence please contact us and tell us as much of the following information as possible:

• The exact location.
• The offender's type of dog.
• Description of the person in charge of dog.
• Vehicle registration and details.
• Address of person committing the offence if you know this.

We will try and follow up any information received.

More about environmental offences.

Stray dogs

If you find a stray you should look for any identification on its collar and if possible return it directly to its owner. If there is no identification you should call us during office hours and a dog warden will come and collect it.

Out of office hours the dog will be collected if you call our contractor or you can make arrangements to deliver it to them. Out of office hours we will only deal with stray dogs that have been contained. If you find a dog in another council's area you need to find out their arrangements for kennelling a dog.

We always try and return dogs to their owners as soon as possible. All dogs are scanned for microchips and will be recorded on our register. We have to charge for dogs to be returned because of the costs incurred. The sooner a dog is returned the lower the charge will be. All owners should therefore ensure their dog has a collar with a tag with their contact numbers on as well as a microchip in case the collar is lost.

Lost dogs

There are a number of things that you can do to find a lost dog. More about lost dogs

Dangerous or illegal dogs

The police are responsible for dogs that are dangerously out of control or suspected to be illegal. Phone them on: 08458 50 55 05 to report a dangerous or illegal dog.

Noisy dogs

Our dog wardens can help if you have a problem with a noisy dog.

Education for dog owners

The dog wardens carry out an education programme to encourage responsible dog ownership and to ensure children can interact safely with dogs. Please contact us for more information.