Caught on Camera: Dog Owners Face £100 Fine for Failing to Pick Up

Dog owners in Cornwall are being warned that failing to clean up after their pets could lead to a £100 fixed penalty notice – and with CCTV, dash-cams and doorbell cameras capturing offenders, there’s a high chance of being caught.

Dog Fouling Public Spaces Protection Order in Place

Cornwall Council has introduced a Dog Fouling Public Spaces Protection Order, covering all publicly accessible land across Cornwall, with the exception of Forestry Commission land. This means that anyone who fails to clear up after their dog could face a fixed penalty of £100. If the fine is not paid, the offender could be taken to court and hit with a maximum fine of £1,000 plus costs.

The council has a limited number of Dog Welfare and Enforcement Officers, but other officers – many not in uniform – are also authorised to issue fines. As a result, offenders may not realise they are being watched until they receive a penalty.

Digital Evidence Can Lead to Fines

Dog fouling offences are taken very seriously, and digital evidence is proving key in holding irresponsible dog owners accountable. The council urges people to report offenders, especially when they have footage or images showing the incident.

Residents can report incidents of dog fouling here: Cornwall Council Report Dog Owner

To take action, the council needs as much detail as possible, including:

• Date, time, and location
• Description of what happened
• Details of the dog and owner
• Any photo or video evidence
• Vehicle registration number or other identifying details

People reporting incidents may be asked to provide a witness statement and, if necessary, attend court if the fixed penalty is not paid.

Dog Fouling Reports in Cornwall

Recent data highlights the scale of the issue across Cornwall. The following table shows dog fouling reports in different parishes for the fiscal year (2024/25), broken down by quarter:

Dog Fouling Reports – Current Fiscal Year by Quarter

Parish	Q – 1	Q – 2	Q – 3	Total
Bodmin	5	2	0	7
Botus Fleming	0	0	1	1
Bude-Stratton	0	0	1	1
Callington	0	1	0	1
Calstock	0	2	0	2
Camborne	2	2	0	4
Carn Brea	1	1	0	2
Constantine	0	1	0	1
Crantock	1	0	0	1
Dobwalls	0	0	1	1
Falmouth	5	6	1	12
Gerrans	1	0	0	1
Hayle	1	1	1	3
Illogan	1	0	0	1
Kenwyn	0	1	0	1
Lansallos	0	1	0	1
Launcells	0	1	0	1
Launceston	1	1	0	2
Liskeard	0	2	2	4
Looe	2	0	1	3
Ludgvan	2	0	0	2
Mevagissey	0	2	0	2
Mylor	1	0	0	1
Newquay	2	1	1	4
Pelynt	1	1	0	2
Pentewan Valley	0	1	0	1
Penzance	2	5	1	8
Perranzabuloe	0	2	0	2
Porthleven	0	1	0	1
Probus	1	0	0	1
Redruth	1	1	0	2
Saltash	5	1	0	6
St. Agnes	3	0	0	3
St. Anthony-in-Meneage	1	2	0	3
St. Austell	10	2	0	12
St. Blaise	1	0	0	1
St. Cleer	1	0	1	2
St. Clement	0	0	1	1
St. Clether	1	0	0	1
St. Columb Major	1	0	0	1
St. Dominic	0	0	1	1
St. Enoder	0	0	2	2
St. Hilary	1	1	0	2
St. Ive And Pensilva	1	0	0	1
St. Ives	2	3	0	5
St. Just	1	1	0	2
St. Just-in-Roseland	0	0	1	1
St. Keverne	1	0	0	1
St. Mewan	2	1	0	3
St. Michael Caerhays	1	0	0	1
St. Minver Highlands	1	0	0	1
St. Newlyn East	0	1	0	1
St. Stephen-in-Brannel	1	0	0	1
Torpoint	1	1	0	2
Towednack	0	0	1	1
Tregony With Cuby	1	0	0	1
Treverbyn	1	1	0	2
Truro	1	2	0	3
Tywardreath And Par	0	1	0	1
Veryan	1	0	0	1
Total	69	53	17	139

Dog Fouling Reports – Totals by Fiscal Year

Parish	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	Total
Advent	0	0	0	1	0	1
Altarnun	0	1	0	0	0	1
Antony	1	3	0	0	0	4
blank	52	0	0	0	0	52
Blisland	0	1	0	0	0	1
Bodmin	24	16	15	21	7	83
Botus Fleming	1	1	0	0	1	3
Breage	9	2	3	0	0	14
Bude-Stratton	3	4	5	2	1	15
Callington	3	2	2	1	1	9
Calstock	5	1	4	1	2	13
Camborne	34	16	16	13	4	83
Camelford	3	2	2	2	0	9
Cardinham	1	0	0	0	0	1
Carharrack	2	0	0	0	0	2
Carlyon	1	1	1	0	0	3
Carn Brea	9	8	7	2	2	28
Chacewater	0	0	1	0	0	1
Colan	0	1	1	2	0	4
Constantine	0	0	0	0	1	1
Crantock	2	1	2	2	1	8
Crowan	0	1	3	3	0	7
Cubert	1	1	1	0	0	3
Cury	0	1	0	2	0	3
Delabole	0	0	0	1	0	1
Deviock	1	2	0	1	0	4
Dobwalls	0	0	3	1	1	5
Dobwalls And Trewidland (now Obsolete)	7	0	0	0	0	7
Duloe	1	0	0	0	0	1
Egloshayle	3	0	2	0	0	5
Egloskerry	1	0	0	0	0	1
Falmouth	38	14	6	10	12	80
Feock	3	1	1	4	0	9
Forrabury And Minster	2	1	0	0	0	3
Fowey	3	0	0	3	0	6
Germoe	1	0	0	0	0	1
Gerrans	3	0	1	0	1	5
Grade-Ruan	0	0	0	1	0	1
Gunwalloe	0	0	0	1	0	1
Gweek	0	0	0	1	0	1
Gwennap	1	1	0	0	0	2
Gwinear-Gwithian	6	4	2	1	0	13
Hayle	18	12	2	6	3	41
Helston	13	3	3	3	0	22
Illogan	3	5	2	5	1	16
Kea	1	0	0	0	0	1
Kenwyn	4	5	1	1	1	12
Kilkhampton	0	2	0	2	0	4
Landewednack	2	0	1	0	0	3
Landrake With St. Erney	2	1	0	0	0	3
Landulph	1	0	0	0	0	1
Laneast	0	0	0	1	0	1
Lanivet	1	1	0	0	0	2
Lanlivery	3	0	0	0	0	3
Lanner	3	4	0	0	0	7
Lanreath	2	0	0	1	0	3
Lansallos	0	7	3	1	1	12
Lanteglos	0	1	0	0	0	1
Launcells	0	0	0	0	1	1
Launceston	9	9	4	8	2	32
Lewannick	1	0	0	0	0	1
Lezant	0	2	0	0	0	2
Liskeard	8	14	13	8	4	47
Looe	4	1	3	3	3	14
Lostwithiel	2	3	0	0	0	5
Ludgvan	2	2	6	1	2	13
Luxulyan	2	1	1	0	0	4
Madron	0	0	0	3	0	3
Maker-with-Rame	0	0	1	0	0	1
Marazion	11	4	1	0	0	16
Marhamchurch	0	0	0	2	0	2
Mawgan-in-Meneage	0	0	0	1	0	1
Mawgan-in-Pydar	1	0	0	1	0	2
Mawnan	2	0	2	0	0	4
Menheniot	4	0	0	1	0	5
Mevagissey	1	0	3	1	2	7
Millbrook	1	3	3	5	0	12
Morval	1	0	0	1	0	2
Morwenstow	1	0	0	0	0	1
Mullion	2	0	0	0	0	2
Mylor	1	2	0	1	1	5
Newquay	27	17	10	18	4	76
North Hill	0	1	0	1	0	2
North Petherwin	0	1	1	0	0	2
Padstow	5	3	3	4	0	15
Pelynt	0	0	0	0	2	2
Penryn	2	3	1	2	0	8
Pentewan Valley	0	2	1	1	1	5
Penzance	23	23	11	21	8	86
Perranarworthal	1	0	0	0	0	1
Perranuthnoe	2	1	0	1	0	4
Perranzabuloe	3	4	5	2	2	16
Ponsanooth	1	0	0	0	0	1
Porthleven	71	23	1	2	1	98
Portreath	4	2	1	0	0	7
Probus	23	14	0	0	1	38
Redruth	18	8	9	6	2	43
Roche	3	2	0	1	0	6
Saltash	14	16	7	5	6	48
Sennen	3	1	0	0	0	4
Sheviock	0	0	0	1	0	1
Sithney	1	1	0	0	0	2
St. Agnes	16	9	6	4	3	38
St. Anthony-in-Meneage	0	1	0	0	3	4
St. Austell	23	16	18	10	12	79
St. Austell Bay	1	1	0	0	0	2
St. Blaise	3	13	5	1	1	23
St. Breock	0	1	0	1	0	2
St. Buryan (now Obsolete)	1	0	0	0	0	1
St. Buryan, Lamorna And Paul	0	1	2	1	0	4
St. Cleer	4	5	0	1	2	12
St. Clement	1	1	1	0	1	4
St. Clether	0	0	0	0	1	1
St. Columb Major	2	1	4	4	1	12
St. Day	0	1	1	0	0	2
St. Dennis	2	2	2	0	0	6
St. Dominic	1	0	0	0	1	2
St. Endellion	0	1	2	2	0	5
St. Enoder	3	1	1	3	2	10
St. Erme	0	1	1	0	0	2
St. Ervan	0	0	0	1	0	1
St. Eval	1	0	0	0	0	1
St. Gennys	1	1	1	1	0	4
St. Germans	1	1	0	1	0	3
St. Gluvias (now Obsolete)	1	0	0	0	0	1
St. Hilary	0	0	0	2	2	4
St. Issey	0	1	0	0	0	1
St. Ive (now Obsolete)	3	0	0	0	0	3
St. Ive And Pensilva	0	1	0	2	1	4
St. Ives	47	13	15	11	5	91
St. John	1	0	1	0	0	2
St. Just	3	4	3	4	2	16
St. Just-in-Roseland	1	0	0	0	1	2
St. Keverne	3	1	1	0	1	6
St. Kew	0	1	0	0	0	1
St. Levan	1	4	1	0	0	6
St. Mabyn	0	0	0	1	0	1
St. Martin-by-Looe	0	0	1	0	0	1
St. Merryn	0	1	0	1	0	2
St. Mewan	3	0	2	1	3	9
St. Michael Caerhays	1	0	0	0	1	2
St. Minver Highlands	7	1	0	2	1	11
St. Minver Lowlands	3	0	1	2	0	6
St. Neot	1	0	0	0	0	1
St. Newlyn East	1	0	1	3	1	6
St. Stephen-in-Brannel	5	3	6	5	1	20
St. Stephens By Launceston Rural	0	1	2	1	0	4
St. Teath	5	0	0	0	0	5
St. Thomas The Apostle Rural	0	1	0	0	0	1
St. Veep	0	0	1	0	0	1
Stithians	2	1	3	0	0	6
Stoke Climsland	0	0	0	1	0	1
Tintagel	0	2	1	0	0	3
Torpoint	6	5	6	6	2	25
Towednack	0	0	0	0	1	1
Tregony With Cuby	0	2	1	2	1	6
Tresmeer	0	0	0	1	0	1
Treverbyn	2	2	1	4	2	11
Truro	9	10	10	9	3	41
Tywardreath And Par	20	8	9	2	1	40
Veryan	2	1	1	3	1	8
Wadebridge	8	2	1	4	0	15
Wendron	2	0	0	2	0	4
Werrington	0	0	1	0	0	1
Total	725	412	290	296	139	1862

Public Urged to Keep Cornwall Clean

Cornwall Council is calling on the public to help tackle dog fouling by reporting problem areas. Anyone aware of a location that needs cleaning can do so here: Report a Public Area That Needs Cleaning

The council reminds dog owners that simply not seeing their pet foul is not an excuse – they can still be held responsible. Stray dogs found fouling will also lead to penalties for their owners.

Dog waste should be picked up using small plastic bags and disposed of in litter or dog waste bins. Throwing bagged dog waste into hedges will result in an even higher penalty of £150.

For full details on dog fouling enforcement in Cornwall, visit: Cornwall Council Dog Fouling Enforcement