The dog poo hotspots across the North East have been revealed after the most recent data on dog fouling was released.
A recent survey revealed that 55 per cent of people see dog poo on the street in their local area ‘often’, while Google searches for ‘reporting dog fouling’ have increased 140 per cent in the last 90 days alone.
Research from Vitasure, the dog supplements that improve doggy digestion, shows that there have been more than 63,000 complaints of dog fouling reported in just 12 months - up from just over 56,000 the year before - showing the issue of dog fouling on our streets is out of control.
In the North East, North Tyneside Council topped the charts with 657 complaints in 2023/2024, while Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council came in second (354 complaints) and Redcar and Cleveland (218) came in third.
Overall, North Tyneside has had over 1400 complaints between 2022 and 2024.
The dog poo hotspots across each North East location:
North Tyneside Council
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 657
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: 787
Total complaints 2022-2024: 1443
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 354
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: 343
Total complaints 2022-2024: 697
Redcar and Cleveland
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 218
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: 276
Total complaints 2022-2024: 494
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 165
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: 162
Total complaints 2022-2024: 327
Middlesbrough Borough Council
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 189
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: N/A
Total complaints 2022-2024: 189
North Yorkshire County Council
Complaints in public spaces 23/24: 46
Complaints in public spaces 22/23: 46
Total complaints 2022-2024: 92
Beth Nash, Chief of Doggy Happiness at Vitasure, said, “We’re a nation of dog lovers, and the last few years have cemented that; there are now almost double the number of dogs in the UK as there were in 2011, with more families welcoming our four-legged friends into our homes.
"However, that is no excuse for us seeing such huge - and growing - numbers of complaints for dog fouling on both private and public property.”
Despite the growing number of complaints, fewer people are being served fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for not clearing up after their dogs.
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In the North East and North Yorkshire, only 29 fixed penalty notices were handed out in 2023/24 in all areas listed above.
Beth added: “The sheer volume of complaints is worrying for everyone. We know that dog waste can pose serious health risks - specifically to children - while also spoiling the environment.
"But with such low levels of prosecution, the worry is, these numbers could further increase year on year.
"It is on the councils to provide dog owners with the facilities to dispose of their dog’s waste safely, while also deterring owners from leaving waste on public and private land.”
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