Dog walkers in Flintshire face another three years of rules on where their pets can go, as the council moves to renew its public space orders before they expire in October.
Dog walkers in Flintshire face another three years of rules on where their pets can go, as the council moves to renew its public space orders before they expire in October.
Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked on Tuesday 16 June to approve a five-week public consultation on extending the county’s two Public Space Protection Orders, which both run out on 29 October 2026.
One order covers dog control, the other allows police to ask people causing a nuisance to surrender alcohol in public places. If neither is renewed, the council would lose its power to enforce the restrictions from the end of October.
The dog control order requires owners to clean up after their dogs anywhere in public, carry bags with them, and put their dog on a lead if asked by an authorised officer.
Dogs are banned from marked sports pitches, bowling greens, tennis courts, fenced play areas and school grounds, and must be kept on leads in cemeteries.
Two locations were added when the order was last renewed in 2023, the fenced area around The Rosie at Wepre Park in Connah’s Quay, and Mold Memorial Gardens.
Enforcement figures included in the Cabinet report show just three fixed penalty notices have been issued for breaches of the order over the past three years, none in 2023/24, one in 2024/25 and two in 2025/26.
Over the same period, the council’s enforcement team spent 397 days on patrol, visited 6,161 locations and spoke to 5,927 people about the rules.
The report says the team’s main focus is ‘engagement and education of the public’, with fines reserved for those who ignore advice. The nine-strong team, based at Alltami Depot, currently has three vacant posts.
The council has also run a series of campaigns to tackle dog fouling, including the Green Dog Walkers scheme, which has signed up more than 500 residents as volunteer advocates for responsible dog ownership.
The alcohol order is enforced by North Wales Police and applies across public areas of the county, though not licensed premises. Drinking itself is not an offence under the order, but refusing a police officer’s request to stop drinking or hand over alcohol is.
The force’s Chief Inspector for Flintshire has confirmed in writing that police support renewing the order.
If Cabinet agrees, two online surveys will run on the council’s website for five weeks, one for each order. Residents who need help filling in the forms can ask staff at their local library or Connects office, though the report says there is ‘no administrative capacity’ to process paper copies.
Town and community councils, schools, bowling clubs and North Wales Police are among those who will be notified of the consultation, alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The report was considered by the council’s Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 9 June, where members asked officers to clarify the equality questions included in the draft questionnaires.
Anyone fined under either order has 14 days to pay, with non-payment risking prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
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