INVERCLYDE Council received 300 complaints about dog fouling last year and issued a total of 12 fines.

The local authority also had nearly 500 reports of fly-tipping in the district and issued 54 fixed penalty notices for illegal dumping - up from 31 the previous year.

The number of complaints for both dog fouling and fly-tipping recorded for the 2023/24 year represented a fall in the total tallies for 2022/23.

Almost 80 percent of all fly-tipping fines issued in Inverclyde since April 2019 have been handed out in Greenock.

Greenock Central and East, one of the area’s six ‘localities’, was the area which saw the highest proportion of fly-tipping complaints since April 2019.

For dog fouling, Greenock accounted for 72 per cent of fines since April 2019 and Greenock Central and East made up the highest proportion of complaints.

In total the council brought in £4,900 from fly-tipping fines last year and £400 from dog fouling notices.

The local authority can issue £80 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to pet owners who do not clear up after their animals, with the fine amount increasing to £100 if not paid within 28 days.

The council is also able to issue fines of up to £200 to those caught fly-tipping.

In response to the figures, an Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “As with any crime, there has to be sufficient evidence to take appropriate action but such irresponsible and anti-social behaviour tends to happen under the cloak of darkness or out of sight to avoid detection.

“Having said that, we have enforcement officers out on patrol across Inverclyde on a daily basis, including at known problem areas, to catch those responsible in the act.

“Where there is sufficient evidence available, councils have the power to issue fixed-penalty notices as an alternative to prosecution and while enforcement is always a last resort, the figures show that we will take action where necessary.

“We also act on information provided by members of the public and rely on that intelligence to help target people who are determined to blight our communities with fly-tipping and dog fouling.

“However, the key to tackling this type of anti-social behaviour is making sure it doesn’t happen in the first place and for that the wider community needs to do their bit by continuing to use recycling facilities responsibly and keep our streets litter free.”