Cramlington couple each fined £408 for separate offences of leaving dog poo on the same street

Theresa Hipkin received a fine for failing to pick up after her dog, and Stephen Hipkin received a separate penalty for leaving a bag of dog poo on the ground.

Mr Hipkin was observed leaving the bag on the ground on Monkside, a street in Cramlington, in October 2022.

The offence was reported to Northumberland County Council’s animal welfare team, who issued Mr Hipkin with a fixed penalty notice for littering, fining him £80, or £65 if the fine was paid within seven days.

Mr Hipkin did not pay the fine, which led to a financial penalty of £220, £100 of costs, and a victim surcharge of £88 being imposed on Mr Hipkin by the courts.

In December 2022, Mrs Hipkin was observed allowing one of her two Jack Russell dogs to foul on the same Cramlington street, and then leaving the area without making an attempt to pick up the mess.

This is also an offence, and after the council’s animal welfare team were able to confirm the offence took place she was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100, reduced to £80 if paid within seven days.

Like her husband, she did not pay her fine, and so was penalised £220 plus £100 of costs, and a victim surcharge of £88, by the courts.

Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member with responsibility for community services, said: “Part of being a responsible dog owner is cleaning up after them and we are lucky so many of our residents do just that.

“Noone wants our beautiful green spaces to be tainted by dog mess and we all want to be able to walk on our streets and in our public places without encountering dog fouling.

“There is no excuse for it and we will continue to find and fine offenders.

“We hope these prosecutions help to get the message across that it is every dog owner’s responsibility to pick up after their dog and put the bagged mess in a bin.”

Recent research found that Northumberland had the third-most complaints about people not picking up after dogs of any UK council area between 2017 and 2021.