Dog fouling scheme in Herefordshire never actually went ahead

A scheme to tackle dog fouling and littering in Herefordshire never actually went ahead, it has been revealed.

In March last year, the previous Herefordshire Council administration committed to taking on an outside organisation to enforce laws against dog fouling and littering in the county for a trial period of 12 months, with an option to extend for up to five years.

But it now appears that nothing was done to progress this.

An unnamed resident asked the council under a freedom of information request whether the scheme “actually occurred”, as “I can find no mention of this matter after around April 2023”.

The council’s information officer replied: “Herefordshire Council can confirm that the trial never went ahead.”

The trial had been intended to be cost-neutral or even remunerative to the council, according to the original decision, which said the contracted firm was to take a cut from the enforcement revenue it raised before passing “an agreed surplus” back to the council.