Conwy tops bad behaviour charts for dog owners with council hitting pet loves with 512 fines
Conwy in North Wales had the most fines handed out for breaching dog rules
THE 'worst' dog owners live in the North Wales town of Conwy - with 512 fines handed out by council wardens last year.
Locals in the walled town appear to have become too relaxed when it comes to local rules around pets as the number of penalty notices has risen by 124 in one year.
Burnley is the second worst town, with 145 notices served on dog owners, followed by Torbay with 84 fines handed out.
In Scarborough and Coventry, 80 penalty notices were given out, and Liverpool dog owners received 79 fines.
The Dog Control Orders (DCOs) can be handed out for failing to remove dog poo, not keeping the pooch on a lead, letting a dog enter land it shouldn't and taking too many mutts on to land.
Direct Line has urged dog owners to be more vigilant after research found that local authorities served 2,448 notices to dog owners in 2015 for breached DCOs.
The number of protection orders in place across England and Wales - specifically related to dogs - increased by nine per cent in the two years from 2013 to 2015.
In 2015 there were at least 892 Dog Control Orders instituted by local authorities, and there has already been 866 orders given out as of June 1 this year.
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In total, local authorities made £160,485 in Fixed Penalty Notices - a rise of three per cent on the £155,256 generated in 2014.
The three local authorities which generated the highest revenue in 2015 were Liverpool City Council (£6,320), Torbay Council (£6,300) and Scarborough Borough Council (£6,000).
Cornwall Council has consistently had the highest number of DCOs in place amongst English and Welsh local authorities - with 120 across the county from 2013 to 2016.
Allerdale Borough Council in Cumbria has the second highest number at 84 between 2015 and 2016 - an increase of 66 per cent from 2013 and 2014.
And the South West has the highest number of active DCOs in the regionals - 250 - followed by the North West (179) and South East (102).
Prit Powar, head of Pet Insurance at Direct Line said: “To avoid the risk of a fine, owners should ensure they abide by the control orders put in place by their local authority, or anywhere they are visiting with their pets.
"If unsure, check your local council website, pop into the office or give them a call and ask for a list of the control orders in place that relate to your local area."
"It is worth checking if there are restrictions on where you can take your dog within your area as they change depending on local authority and time of year.
"Cornwall, for example, has a number of controls in place across its beaches and public areas in summer months which are then relaxed in winter months.
“The orders themselves can vary significantly too; some say no dogs, others say dogs on a lead while others will specify the number of dogs which can be walked by one person at one time, so are especially relevant for dog walkers.”
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