A recent survey revealed some local authorities in East Lancashire are slacking in penalising for dog fouling.

Research from Vitasure shows there have been more than 63,000 complaints of dog fouling in the UK reported in just a 12 month period, up from just over 56,000 the year before.

In East Lancashire, Burnley Council was the local authority with the most dog poo complaints, with 486 complaints in public areas from 2023 to 2024.

However, just 31 fixed penalty notices were given out for the offence during that period.

Elsewhere, Blackburn with Darwen Council received 149 dog poo complaints in public areas from 2023 to 2024, but only 10 fixed penalty notices were given.

This comes after Blackburn with Darwen Council planned to impose a new Public Space Protection Order for dog control after the existing one expired in January.

In the UK overall, there were 6,500 more complaints in the 12 months to March 2024, compared to the 12 months to March 2023.

Beth Nash, from Vitasure, said: “We’re a nation of dog lovers, and the last few years have really cemented that.

"There are now almost twice the number of dogs in the UK as there were in 2011, with more families welcoming four-legged friends into their homes.

"However, that is no excuse for us seeing such huge, and growing,  numbers of complaints for dog fouling on both private and public property.”

Despite the growing number of complaints, fewer people are being served fixed penalty notices for not clearing up after their dogs.

Just 1,006 fixed penalty notices were issued between March 2023 and March 2024, 147 fewer than the previous year.

While many towns and cities are expanding with new homes being built on previously unoccupied land, the number of bins isn’t increasing in line with this growth, Vitasure said.

Fewer than half of councils that responded had increased the number of bins, with 31 actually reducing the number of bins they provided.

Beth added: “The sheer volume of complaints is worrying for everyone.

"We know that dog waste can pose serious health risks - specifically to children - while also spoiling the environment.

"But with such low levels of prosecution, the worry is, these numbers could further increase year on year.

"It really is on the councils to provide dog owners with the facilities to dispose of their dog’s waste safely, while also deterring owners from leaving waste on public and private land.”

Gary Johnston, Service Lead for Environmental Health and Public Protection, said: "We take dog fouling seriously here in Blackburn with Darwen.

"This is an ongoing issue and we ask residents to work with us to reduce dog fouling across the borough.

"Please, clean up after your dog."

The figures obtained by dog supplement company Vitasure were previously incorrect, between 01 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 Blackburn with Darwen issued 10 fixed penalty notices for dog fouling.