Should stricter dog rules stay in force in the Ribble Valley?

The council introduced a public space protection order, or PSPO, in 2017 to tackle the scourge of dog poop in public and make the borough cleaner, safer and healthier.

Now, it wants the views of residents on whether the order should be extended for another three years.

The order makes it an offence to:

Let your dog foul in public;

Not be in possession of pet poop bags;

Let your dog off its lead in Clitheroe Cemetery;

Allow your dog to enter a playground or sports pitch;

Refuse to put your pet on a lead if asked by a dog warden;

Be in charge of more than four dogs at once.

Anyone breaching the order faces a £100 fixed penalty notice or day in court and fine of up to £1,000.

The consultation asks a range of questions to help establish whether the order should be extended for another three years.

The council’s head of environmental health, Ken Robinson, said: “Public space protection orders are intended to deal with a nuisance or problem that is detrimental to the community’s quality of life.

"We adopted an order in 2017 to help make the borough cleaner, safer and healthier after receiving hundreds of complaints about dog fouling each year and spending thousands of pounds disposing of it.

“Now, we want to hear from residents, dog owners or otherwise, on whether they want to see the order continue.”

The consultation runs until midnight on September 13th, and is available at www.ribblevalley.gov.uk.