Two South Tyneside men ordered to pay more than £2,800 for failing to clean up dog waste

David Forsyth, of Spohr Terrace in South Shields, and David Elliott, of Northbourne Road in Jarrow, have both been left out of pocket.

Forsyth had repeatedly failed to pick up his dog’s waste from the street, despite being served with fixed penalty notices after he was reported by members of the public who caught him on CCTV.

Elliott had previously been convicted by magistrates in South Tyneside after he had allowed so much dog poo to build up in his back garden that his neighbours complained about the ‘unbearable’ smell.

Despite being convicted, he continued to breach the requirements of the Community Protection Notice (CPN) that was served to him.

As a result, South Tyneside Council took both men to court.

Magistrates ordered Forsyth to pay a £660 fine, £300 compensation to the council for clear-ups, costs of £350 and a victim surcharge of £264.

Elliott’s case was heard in his absence and he was ordered to pay a £770 fine as well as being ordered to pay a £308 victim surcharge and £200 costs.

A third South Tyneside resident was also fined £200 for failing to check that the person she had paid to take her rubbish away was an authorised waste carrier.

Sam McGeary, of High Street in Jarrow, admitted that she had paid a man £30 to take away garden and household waste which was later found fly-tipped at Curlew Road in July last year.

Indentification found amongst the rubbish led investigating officers back to her.

As well as the fine, the 33-year-old was also ordered to pay £100 in costs and a victim surcharge of £80.

A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: “The court has handed out some large fines here, which demonstrates that they take these kinds of incidents very seriously.

“As a council, we will always investigate environmental crimes, and where we can identify offenders, will take all action available to us.

“We know that people feel strongly about things like fly tipping and dog fouling – which are not only illegal but selfish and anti-social.

“There is no excuse for not disposing of waste responsibly, and if you choose to pay someone to do this for you, it is your duty to check that that person is licensed to do so.”

Read South Tyneside’s news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day’s news and sport and enjoy even more from your Gazette. Visit our website here to find out more and sign u