MORE DOG LAW NEWS from Trevor Cooper Dog Law Ltd From 20th October 2014 new powers are available in England & Wales for Councils and the Police to tackle nuisance from dogs. It’s not a crack-down on dog owners but it is a crack-down on irresponsible dog owners. The ‘headline’ power that is being featured in the media is for Community Protection Notices. The grounds are that there must be conduct:- which is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life for those in the locality, and which is persistent or continuing, and which is unreasonable The first step is for an enforcer to serve a written warning and if that doesn’t stop the nuisance then a CPN can be served specifying measures, which may include inter alia leashing, muzzling or training. If there is a breach the maximum Fixed Penalty Notice is £100 and if prosecuted the maximum fine is £2,500 for an individual. Also, there will be a phasing out of any existing Dog Control Orders as they will be replaced by Public Spaces Protection Orders if there are activities taking place in a public place which are having (or are likely to have) a detrimental effect on quality of life. Councils will no longer have to advertise the proposal in a local newspaper although it must still be published (details have not been set out on what this entails). Neither a parish nor a community council has the power to make a PSPO. If a PSPO is made it must be published on the Council’s website and notices erected that the Council considers sufficient. If there is a breach the maximum Fixed Penalty Notice is £100 and if prosecuted the maximum fine is £1,000.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:40:45 +0000
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