Dog mess patrols could hand out fines for fouling

Enforcement officers wearing body cameras could be drafted into Sheffield to tackle owners who let their dogs foul the pavements.

Sheffield Council said it needed a "strong enforcement response" to a minority of dog owners and was planning a pilot scheme with the new officers.

Along with handing out fixed penalty notices, if the officers spotted owners cleaning up after their pet, they could be entered into a prize draw.

Officers would do "intellegence-led" patrol in shifts with a rapid response to complaints within 24 hours - but will not have targets in relation to the number of fines issued, according to a report from the city council.

Over recent years, the council employed temporary or agency staff to carry out litter enforcement, but this cost up to £108,000 annually and "created a significant budget strain" as the costs were not covered by the income from fixed penalty notices.

Revenue from fines was around £50,000 per year but payment rates have declined.

The council said it had "significant back-office costs" in processing the charges.

The report added: "Officers with delegated powers for littering are also undertaking other key environmental protection duties, so the council does not have capacity for large scale proactive litter and dog fouling enforcement.

"Since the agency officers stopped, our penalty notice figures have dropped sharply."

The council is now examining a one-year pilot agreement with City of Doncaster Council ahead of a decision on 12 December.

Doncaster Council has a contract with Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement, a specialist provider currently working with over 40 councils.

Doncaster would use this contractor to provide the service for Sheffield - and already has a similar agreement with Rotherham's local authority.

Sheffield Council says: "WISE will provide trained enforcement officers, equipment, vehicles, uniforms and body-worn cameras.

"This arrangement offers increased enforcement presence with six to 10 officers from 06:00 to 20:00 GMT coverage, intelligence-led patrols across the city and rapid response to complaints within 24 hours."

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