This is why the council has issued only three dog fouling fines in Preston in the past five years

Preston City Council handed out just one fine in 2017 and two in 2018 – but no pet owners were hit with a fee in the following three years, according to data requested by Kennelstore.

Coun. David Borrow, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulation, says officers have turned to others means to tackle the issue, namely awareness and monitoring campaigns designed to encourage pet owners to pick up after their dogs, having a nearly 100 percent success rate.

Coun. Borrow said: “It’s encouraging that all the council’s monitoring across Preston consistently gives a pick-up rate of 99 percent of dog owners and walkers clearing up after their pets.

“A big thanks goes to our small network of canine volunteers in the community, and our partners, who assist in gathering information for the Dog Control Technician. Our policy has always been to educate dog owners, and work with those who are irresponsible or may have other reasons for not being able to pick up.”

The council was forced to change its approach to dog fouling due to a lack of Government funding, according to the Cabinet Member.

He added: “For a number of years we have had to operate the service on a slightly different model due to austerity cuts. Where we have sufficient evidence for investigation provided by officers or members of the public, this may result in enforcement action but will only be used when all other options have been exhausted.”