A councillor has sniffed out concerns over dog fouling by asking if the PSNI will have any bite in cracking down on dog poo in Fermanagh.

The age-old problem regarding the enforcement of dog fouling reared its head at May’s meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on Tuesday evening [May 7] - with some of the discussion around who might enforce it. 

A suggestion of placing dispensers for dog poo bags was raised by Councillor John McClaughry, of the Ulster Unionists.

He asked the chamber about the potential for legislation on the issue and told fellow councillors: “Having thought about it in hindsight, when I started driving we didn’t have to wear seat belts until it was made compulsory.

“Is there any way we can approach DAERA to bring in legislation that dog owners walking dogs must have bags or some way of lifting their dog waste?”

Councillor McClaughry continued: “The problem is that we are not able to catch these people, if they don’t have the implements to do it, they are never going to do it anyway.

“Is that something the officers could look at that we could make them carry the stuff at least if they have it with them they might use it “Or is that something we would have to look at DAERA bringing through or something we can do as a local authority ourselves?”

Weighing in on the debate was Councillor Robert Irvine, Ulster Unionist who said:  “If that was a proposition that would stream from this council, you would have to twin it with the powers of stop and check for compliance, not just for PSNI and authorised council officers.

“Otherwise it is not going to have much effect in regard to enforcement and there are issues with that.”

Councillor Irvine detailed the frustrations of residents as he said: “I have it in my local village and in Enniskillen, there are responsible dog owners who are fed up with non-responsible dog owners and they are actually highlighting it by spraying paint on the other dog owners [dog’s foulings] that have not lifted."

“There is a level of compliance out in the community but a frustration with those who are non-compliant the more we can do to be proactive, the better.”

Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Thomas O’Reilly remarked: “This issue is one that is never-ending.”

Urging caution, Councillor Adam Gannon, SDLP said: “While I agree with the general principle of it, we just need to be careful of what happens if someone only has one bag with them and pick up the dogs droppings then and there, caution with it, I know myself being caught and thinking, I hope they don’t go twice here.”

Chief Executive of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Alison McCullagh said: “If Councillor McClaughry was so minded, I think in the first instance if we were to write to DAERA to seek their views on how the legislation and associated enforcement can be appropriately strengthened to allow and to promote actively responsible dog owner behaviour in the first instance and they may be able to identify good practice in other jurisdictions.”

Council agreed to write a letter to DAERA on the issue, the letter was proposed by Councillor John McClaughry and seconded by Councillor Robert Irvine.