THE Vale council has agreed to consult on plans to introduce "on the spot" penalties for dog fouling in the county.

Cabinet agreed to open a consultation on introducing public space protection orders (PSPOs) to crack down on dog fouling.

The order under Section 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 would involve the banning of dog fouling in all public places with the Vale of Glamorgan, a requirement for a person in charge of a dog at all times to carry bags or suitable means for the disposal of dog faeces, a requirement for a dog to be kept on a lead in specific featured parks, a ban excluding dogs from all marked sports pitches during the season and playgrounds, a ban excluding dogs from the specific featured parks and a ban excluding dogs from the specific beaches from the start of May until the end of September.

There is currently a system of byelaws in place for the control of dog fouling and prohibiting dogs from certain beaches during particular time of the year, country parks, highways and public open spaces in the Vale of Glamorgan.

These byelaws have been in place since 2001 and though there are fines associated with them, it is not currently possible to issue on the spot fixed penalties.

If approved, an officer can serve a fixed on the spot penalty notice of £100 if a breach of the PSPO is witnessed.

The report to cabinet stated that it is generally accepted that a PSPO would allow better control on how public land is used by dog owners and balance this with wider uses of the area.

The consumption of alcohol is already controlled in certain areas of the Vale through PSPOs.

The council says it is still receiving a significant number of complaints about dog fouling and although it is aware that the majority of dog owners are responsible and control their dogs in public spaces, there is still a minority of people who do not take full responsibility for their animals and ignore the council's byelaws.

The council has allocated £40,000 from the Vale of Glamorgan Regulatory Services reserve for the staff costs associated with this work

There would also be additional costs associated with signage and legal orders.

An eight to 12 week consultation will now take place with a further report presented to cabinet following this.