Posted on: Friday 12 July 2024
Public Spaces Protection Orders help local councils tackle anti-social behaviour in public areas like children’s play areas and sports fields.
There are three PSPOs in place in Torfaen relating to dogs, which must be reviewed every three years:
- Dog fouling: This is a borough wide PSPO, where it’s an offence to fail to remove dog faeces from any land the public has access to.
- Dog Exclusion Areas: There are 140 areas within the borough where dogs are excluded, including school grounds, children’s play areas and marked sports pitches. Dogs are also excluded from the Lapwing breeding area near the Garn Lakes Nature Reserve.
- Dogs on Leads Areas: It is also an offence to let a dog off a lead in specified areas, including Garn Lakes, Cwmbran Boating Lake, and all of the Council’s cemeteries.
As part of the review, we need to know if residents still support the PSPOs, would like to see any changes, or think they should be removed. Take part in our online consultation by midnight on Friday 26 July.
Have your say on Get Involved Torfaen
Councillor Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: “The PSPOs are an important tool in the council’s fight against keeping our public spaces clean and safe for everyone to use.
“Filling out the survey on Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) is crucial for ensuring our community's voice is heard.”
PSPOs were introduced as part of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
All areas covered by a PSPO have signs explaining the requirements to encourage people to abide by them, and details of how to report breaches when they happen.
Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence, and possible sanctions include a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 or a fine up to £1,000 on conviction.
Find out more information about PSPOs in Torfaen
Report issues with dog fouling