City wardens take the lead on dog fouling in TV documentary
Aberdeen City Council's City Wardens feature in the latest episode of ITV's The Inspectors Are Coming tonight (Tuesday 8 March).
The fly-on-the-wall programme, which airs at 7.30pm on ITV1, shows the City Wardens in Seaton Park cracking down on dog fouling. The Wardens were filmed in various locations around the city including Tillydrone and the city centre for two weeks in September and appear in two episodes of the ITV series.
The Inspectors Are Coming also features wardens from Cleethorpes, Dumfries and Galloway and Newham.
Aberdeen City Council Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Convener Councillor Neil Cooney said: "We are extremely proud of the work our City Wardens do.
"The Inspectors Are Coming shows only a few of the daily tasks undertaken by the City Wardens, who work very hard to help keep our city clean and safe."
Aberdeen Senior City Warden George Chambers said: "It was a great experience to be involved in the documentary.
"Taking part in the programme allows us to show that although we do take our job seriously we can sometimes have a laugh and a joke with members of the public.
"I've been practicing my autograph just in case I get recognised the next time I'm on shift."
City Wardens have been proactive in tackling dog fouling in the city by creating the initiative Scoop Watch. City Wardens and Environmental Health Dog Wardens visit schools to highlight the issue of dog fouling in the local area, and promote responsible dog ownership amongst pupils, their families and friends.
The fine for dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets is currently £40. This is set to change on 1 April 2016 when the fixed penalty will increase to £80 to bring it in to line with the fine for littering.
The change comes after the overwhelming majority of responses to a Scottish Government consultation on responsible dog ownership said they would support the fixed penalty being raised.
The Dog Fouling (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Order 2016 takes effect on 1 April 2016.