Bag it and Bin it

The Dog Enforcement Teams 'Bag it and Bin it' campaign commenced on Friday 1 April. The Dog Team will pro-actively patrol the borough in uniform and plain clothes to enforce dog offences under the Dog Control Order Act 2006 .

More information on the campaign

Clean it up

We are continuing our fight to wipe out enviro-crime offenders by targeting those people that leave their dog mess on our streets, making the borough look dirty and unsightly.

The campaign was launched after the Council was contacted by a number of residents complaining about the problem and features painted stencils being placed on the pavements of areas particularly blighted by dog fouling.

Bridget Kerr from Leytonstone, told us: “The state of our pavements is terrible and there is always dog mess on the walk to my children’s nursery. One morning my son sped off on his scooter and before I knew it he’d gone straight through some dog mess. The mess was all over the wheels. While I was trying to scrape it off some got on my hands, which I couldn’t wash properly until I got to work in central London. It was absolutely disgusting.”

Responsible dog owner Flash Bristow added: “Dog fouling is a problem that affects us all. It creates a particular hazard for small children, and gets onto the wheels of prams and wheelchairs. I believe there area number of persistent offenders, but they give all dog owners a bad name! It’s time that everyone remembered that cleaning up is part of dog ownership. If I can pick up after my dog, so can anyone else.”

We will be educating people about putting dog mess in one of the 1,800 bins in the borough and we will be stepping up our enforcement efforts with Enforcement Offices out and about in hotspots issuing £80 fixed penalty notices.

Clearing up after your dog

Waltham Forest Council actively encourages dog owners to act responsibly and clear up after their dogs. Those that leave their mess behind are liable to a £80 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Council officers can serve a FPN to anyone seen allowing their dog to foul on the public highway and failing to remove it under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 where it is an offence for owners to allow their dogs to foul on the public highway or in other public places to which Dog Control Orders applies.

Dogs are also excluded from some areas in some of the borough’s parks, mainly children's playgrounds. A fixed penalty notice of £80 is issued to those in charge of the dog at the time. See dog exclusion

We are carrying out focused enforcement patrols in the most problematic areas and issuing FPNs to anyone caught not clearing up after their dog.

Dog owners who are registered blind are exempt from the Act.

Failure to pay within 14 days could result in £1,000 fine through prosecution in the magistrates' court.

» View the dog control order for all highways including roads, footways, footpaths, alleyways and grass verges (263KB PDF file)

» More on dog law

Reporting a dog fouling problem

If you are experiencing a problem with dog fouling in your area or witness a dog owner who allows their dog to foul in a public place without cleaning it up afterwards, you should report it to us with as much information as you can, for example:

  • The location, time and date where the incidence took place
  • Frequency of offence if it happens regularly
  • Description of the dog
  • When the dog is usually walked
  • The owner details and address if known
  • Your contact details

You can by use the online form or you can call Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000.

What happens next?

Your details will be passed to the Enforcement team who will do an initial investigation within 3 days and a decision will be made on what action to take.

Disposing of dog waste

With approximately 1,800 refuse bins throughout the borough, there is no excuse to leave dog mess on the streets and in our parks. Dog waste can be disposed of in normal litter bins, so long as it is bagged. The Council arranges for these to be emptied on a regular basis and residents can pick up free hygienic 'poop a scoop' bags (packs of 50) from:

A maximum of 2 packs per customer are available by visiting any of these locations.

Dog walkers

You must put your dog on a lead of not more than 8 metres in length and keep it under control in all places except the following where you may run your dogs off the lead.

Dogs off leads areas

  • Ainslie Wood, Ainslie Wood Road, E4
  • Cambrian Gardens, Capworth Street, E10
  • Chase Lane Park, York Road, E4
  • Cheney Row, Billet Road, E17
  • Chestnuts Fields - behind Town Hall, Forest Road, E17
  • Epping Forest
  • Higham Hill Recreation Ground, Sutton Road, E17
  • Kitchener Road Park, Kitchener Road, E17
  • Knotts Green, Leyton Green Road, E10
  • Langthorne Park, Birch Grove, E11
  • Larkswood Playing Fields, Larkswood Road, E4
  • Lee Valley Playing Fields, Waltham Way, E4
  • Lee Valley Park
  • Mallinson Park Woods, High Road, Woodford Green
  • Marsh Lane Playing Fields, off Church Lane, E10
  • Pimp Hall Nature Reserve, Kings Road, E4
  • River Lea towpath
  • The Highams Park, Keynsham Avenue, Woodford Green
  • The Linear Park, Grove Green Road, E11
  • Thomas Gamuel Park, off Boundary Road, E17
  • Wadham Avenue Open Space, Wadham Avenue, E17

» View the dogs on leads order (145KB PDF file)

» View the putting and keeping dogs on leads order (184KB PDF file)

Limit of dogs that can be taken onto land

A person is only allowed to walk a maximum of six dogs on their own at one time under the dog control order.

» View the maximum number of dogs that can be taken onto land order (223KB PDF file)

Dog exclusion

You must not take your dog or dogs into areas where they are specifically prohibited. This will include children's play areas in parks and they will have signage indicating that dogs are prohibited.

» View the dog exclusion orders (296KB PDF file)