Call for more action to clamp down on dog fouling offences as no fines issued in Cork city last year 

Cork County Council issued 11 fines for dog fouling offences in 2024, while Cork City Council has issued none.

Information obtained from Cork County Council revealed the local authority also issued 50 litter fines last year.

Cork City Council, meanwhile, issued 1,051 litter fines.

Speaking to The Echo, Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan called for fines to be issued for dog fouling offences in Cork city to address the “public health issue on our footpaths”.

“For the local authority to issue no fines would suggest that there is no issue with dog fouling,” Mr Horgan said. “But we couldn’t be further from the truth on that.

“It is a massive public health issue on our footpaths, on our walking amenities and around our schools.”

“We need to show that if you don’t clean up, you will get a fine and — supplementary to that — we must follow the guide of the county and provide dog bags at our bins,” Mr Horgan added.

“Poster campaigns are not working.”

In statements to The Echo on the issue, Cork City Council has continuously cited what it described as barriers to issuing fines, including a lack of eyewitnesses and a lack of witnesses willing to go to court.

“The difficulty in issuing fines is that the litter warden must actually witness both the dog depositing faeces, and the person in control of the dog neglecting to remove the faeces,” a spokesperson explained.

“The practicalities associated with this mean that it is extremely challenging and time-consuming to issue fines for such offences.

“Alternatively, a member of the public who witnesses an offence can make a complaint,” they added.

“In such cases, a fine will be issued if the complainant is prepared to go to court if necessary and give evidence.

“The legal requirement for the complainant to go to court in such cases is a barrier for members of the public proceeding with their complaint, as anonymity is often required by members of the public who report such instances.”