We are receiving an increasing number of reports of dog fouling on St Mary’s, particularly in the areas of McFarland’s Down, Bant's Carn and Telegraph. Our Environmental Health team would like to better understand the scale of the problem and identify other badly affected areas, so in addition to asking all dog owners to pick up after their dogs, we’re also asking residents and visitors to inform us whenever they notice dog faeces in any public space. You can do this confidentially by emailing environmentalhealth@scilly.gov.uk
Any information you provide about dog fouling and dog control issues will be used to improve our understanding of the situation across the islands throughout the year, so we can identify hot spots and focus our resources in these areas. Your details will not be shared outside of the Environmental Health team unless you give your specific consent to do so.
If your dog fouls in any public space, you are required to clean up and properly dispose of it. You can be held responsible even if you did not see the incident, or if it is witnessed whilst your dog is straying. With that in mind, please keep your dog in your sight at all times when in public spaces.
Failing to clean up after your dog is an offence under the Council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) 2020: Dog Control on the Isles of Scilly. The order applies to all public spaces on all of the islands (except those on Tresco) and can result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued. The current Public Spaces Protection Order is due to be renewed and updated in early 2023. The more information that is reported to us, the better informed we will be when updating this order.
The fine for failing to comply with a PSPO is £100. This must be paid within 10 days in order to avoid being taken to court. The maximum penalty on conviction is £1000.
A Fixed Penalty Notice can be issued immediately under the PSPO if an incident is witnessed (by an officer authorised by the Council, or a police officer) and the person responsible refuses to comply with a request to bring their animal under control, or pick up after them. Given the limited number of patrolling officers on the islands, we also rely heavily on the cooperation of the community to prevent and enforce dog fouling and control incidents. If a member of the public is prepared to be a witness to an incident and provide a formal statement, the Council may be able to enforce at a later stage.
How to report a dog fouling or control offence you have witnessed
If you witness an offence against the PSPO, please report it to the Council by calling 0300 1234 105 (Option 5) or by emailing environmentalhealth@scilly.gov.uk.
The level of response from the Environmental Health team will vary according to the level of detail reported to us, so please try to give as much information as possible when reporting an incident. This should include the following wherever possible:
- date
- time
- location
- what was witnessed
- description/identity of dog/owner
- any other available information regarding the offender (eg. name, address, vehicle registration number)
Please help us ensure public spaces across the islands remain clean by keeping dogs under control at all times, picking up after them and reporting offences as and when you see them. Visit our dog control webpage to read further advice about the measures dog owners must take on the islands.
Thank you for your cooperation.