A father and daughter have been fined for letting their dogs foul the pavement after a sophisticated investigation by Sutton Council officers.
A man, 52, and his daughter, both of Mill Lane, Carshalton, were fined a total of £340 by Croydon Magistrates on 3 September after admitting to two counts each of letting their dogs foul the footpath.
Sutton Council officers mounted an operation to catch the culprits in response to a number of complaints from locals about the disgusting behaviour of the pair.
Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of Sutton Council’s Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee, said: “This prosecution is a tribute to the hard work and ingenuity of our officers.
“It is a revolting offence that understandably upsets our residents. We reacted swiftly to their concerns and in order to maintain a clean and safe environment that our residents expect and deserve.”
In December 2012 enforcement officers sited mobile CCTV cameras at the junction of Mill Lane and Butter Hill. Carefully sifting through the footage in January, they spotted a pattern to when offences were committed.
When the pattern of times was established, officers carried out live surveillance early in the mornings and established the identities and address of the pair.
After they failed to pay a fixed penalty, Sutton pressed on with the prosecution and magistrates fined them both £50 for each offence plus £50 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
To report dog fouling in your area log on to www.sutton.gov.uk and click on ‘report it’ or call 020 8770 5070.