A sweeping crackdown on dogs and their owners - dubbed Asbos for dogs - is being proposed by a London borough.
Tower Hamlets council wants to introduce strict new rules on where pets can be walked.
The proposed Asbo-style restrictions include banning owners from walking more than four dogs at a time anywhere in the borough, blocking animals from play parks and sports areas, requiring pets to be on the lead in all public spaces and tougher penalties for dog fouling.
It will apply to all dogs, from cavapoos to Great Danes and from chihuahuas to St Bernards. Councillors are set to consult on setting up a borough-wide public spaces protection order to enforce the new regulations.
Anyone in breach of the order could face prosecution and fines ranging from £100 to £1,000.
The orders give local authorities power to tackle anti-social behaviour in certain areas and are most commonly used to combat street drinking or the pubic use of laughing gas.
Other councils have also used to them to enforce dog controls in certain areas, such as parks and beaches but Tower Hamlets wants to enforce restrictions across the entire borough.
The town hall set up a taskforce last summer following a number of high profile attacks, including in Victoria Park which the council manages.
In a report, due to be debated next week, officers said they did not want to “demonise all dogs nor penalise responsible owners”.
But they added that action must be taken to protect residents.
“Following a spate of dog attack incidents involving out of control, dangerous and nuisance dogs and their owners officers were asked to explore options on how the council could tackle those dog owners who behave in an anti-social irresponsible way in our public spaces,” the report states.
“A task and finish group concluded that the introduction of a public spaces protection order for controlling dogs could be the appropriate tool to support council officers to limit the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour relating to dog control.
“A PSPO provides a legal power to the council to fine dog owners who do not adhere to the conditions of the PSPO. The introduction of a PSPO and the publicity and communications surrounding the introduction of it is expected to prompt good dog management.”
Tower Hamlets council added it will look at introducing fees and charges for licensing professional dog walkers, which could entitle them to walk more than the maximum number allowed under the PSPO order.
Siddique Ali, 43, from Mile End, was jailed for 14 months last year after his two dogs attacked an 11-year-old girl in Limehouse as she was walking to school.
Viral footage showed Met Police officers shooting dead two dogs by a Poplar canal in May 2023. Louie Turnbull’s was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months over the incident.
XL Bullys were banned across in Britain from January under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Owners face up to 14 years behind bars for breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning or allowing an XL Bully dog to stray.
