Undercover dog wardens to use night-vision goggles in crackdown on dog fouling

Undercover wardens in Lancashire using night-vision goggles are to start following people and staking out hot-spot areas to target dog fouling. Hyndburn’s team of dog wardens are to use covert techniques to crackdown on the problem including the use of plain clothes officers and surveillance vans after an increase in complaints.

The wardens, who were asked by borough councillors to step up patrols in the worst affected areas, are urging residents to supply intelligence of regular offenders who they should be following. The campaign will see people encouraged to ‘name and shame’ by contacting Hyndburn Council with details of people who regularly flout the dog fouling laws.



A team will continue regular patrols in uniforms but will also use information from the public to stake out certain places covertly. Rishton councillor Ken Moss, launched a campaign for councils to gain powers to raise instant dog fouling fines to £1,000, has asked the Hyndburn wardens team to step up action in the town.

Hyndburn currently hands out £75 penalties in line with neighbouring authorities, whose fines range from £50 to £75. Second time offenders can be taken to Hyndburn Magistrates Court where they face fines of up to £1,000. The council has historically taken a tough stance on the issue, employing one of the first dog wardens, becoming the first to ban dogs without leads from cemeteries and piloting a special street sweeper nicknamed the ‘Super Dooper Pooper Scooper’.