Private dog poo patrollers called in to clean up streets

Dog mess, littering and fly tipping are not just unsightly but dangerous - and they provide a major challenge for many local authorities.

Now Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has brought in a private enforcement team to try to tackle the problems.

The council is following the lead of other authorities in parts of England and Scotland which are already working with 3GS UK Limited which forms part of National Enforcement Solutions (NES).

A council spokesperson said it was not paying for the service directly but that an agreed share of the income from fines would be retained by the company.

The council would not disclose what cut the company would keep, describing it as "commercially sensitive".

The first of the seven enforcement workers began patrolling the borough at the start of May and are working alongside the current environment wardens.

They wear a uniform with a camera attached and can issue fines of up to £200.

Between January 2025 and April 2026, the council issued just three fixed penalty notices for dog fouling and 15 fines for litter.

Mayor Oliver McMullan hopes it will encourage more people to stop littering and pick up after their dogs.

"It's not a money making exercise...it's to get people educated and cleaning up after them," he said.

McMullan said dog fouling was one of the biggest complaints he receives from ratepayers.

"Council staff have so much to do but the company that's brought in here, that's their specific job," he said.

"They will be out all times of the day and they will be going to the hotspots where we're getting a lot of complaints about this."

BBC News NI understands councils in Northern Ireland including Causeway Coast and Glens have used private enforcement firms in the past.

However this is currently the only such scheme in operation.

Other councils have tried to target dog fouling by exploring DNA databases and introducing initiatives such as 'Pick up the Poo'.

Eoin Henney, managing director of 3GS UK Limited said teams would be on patrol seven days a week.

"I think local authorities have enough on their plate and bringing in extra resources helps them focus on other things," he said.

"It means we can work various hours of the day, maybe later in the evenings and earlier in the mornings."

Henney said he had seen improvements and behaviour changes in parts of Scotland and England where the firm operated.

A previous partnership with Bradford council led to significant increases in fines. The company also opted to terminate the "unprofitable" contract.

Roger from Portrush welcomed the new initiative but believed the task would not be easy.

"It often happens when nobody's about so I don't know how they can solve that," he said.

"Plenty of dog owners are responsible, but they're let down by the irresponsible ones.

"This private company has to get into the mind of the irresponsible ones and figure out what they are up to."

Juliete, who lives in Coleraine, said littering was a "massive problem" in the area.

"If there's anything taking place in the town, it seems that people will come down with the bags of the cans, the sweets and they just dump it on the floor and it looks absolutely trashed," she said.

Having previously lived in England, she believes Northern Ireland's litter and dog fouling problems could be helped with the addition of more bins.

Coleraine dog owner Tony describes the current situation as a nightmare which gives other owners a bad reputation.

"I've seen me lifting it off the pavement from another dog so that I don't walk in it and somebody else doesn't walk in it," he said.

"It's dangerous for young children or dogs and other animals."

He has become disillusioned with the council's inability to tackle both dog fouling and littering.

"I don't think it'll work, they tried before and it didn't work then," he said.

"I haven't seen a dog warden in about two or three years."

In Northern Ireland, the fines that can be imposed on dog owners and litter louts varies.

Offenders in Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, Antrim and Newtownabbey and Ards and North Down face a £200 fixed penalty notice.

Mid Ulster has the lowest fixed penalty rate of just £50.