Man who walked his dog off the lead was fined £75

Campbell Millett, 58, was spotted with his dog Benji off the lead on a path in Holmfirth

A man who walked his dog off the lead has been fined £75 and threatened with police action by ‘bullying’ litter wardens.

Campbell Millett, 58, was spotted with his seven-year-old dog Benji off the lead on a path in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

He said three officers from enforcement firm Kingdom swooped on him in the town centre and said he was breaching the law and would be issued a fine.

When he said he had no idea about the rule and tried to walk away, an officer from Kingdom – contracted by Kirklees Council – said he would call police.

Mr Millett tried to ring a local councillor for help, but said the officers – two men and a woman – refused to give him space to talk on the phone in private.

Mr Millett, who lives alone with Benji, a Patterdale terrier, felt ‘intimidated’ and ‘bullied’ by the group – and insisted he had seen no signs about the law.

Dog control orders – which ban dogs from walking without leads in certain areas – were first introduced in Kirklees five years ago in November 2012, and have since been replaced by public space protection orders.

He added that it was unlikely anyone in Kirklees would know that having their dog off the lead was banned. The council brought in the new law last March.

The so-called ‘dog control order’ effectively bans dogs from roaming free in most public places, including all council maintained pavements and roads.

Dogs are also required to be on the lead in dozens of parks and open spaces. A map of where dogs must be on a lead is on the Kirklees Council website.

Mr Millett said the policy was ‘ridiculous’ if no one knew about it. He said: ‘To me, it’s all wrong. There are no signs up about this anywhere in Holmfirth.

‘When I go to Scarborough there’s signage that makes it clear and so I only let the dog off the lead on the beach. Their attitude was nothing short of disgusting. 

‘It was quite distressing. I live near the town centre and I walk my dog round town six or seven times a day. I have done for five years and I’ve never had any problems or seen anything about this law.

Mr Millett, who lives alone with his dog, said he felt 'intimidated' and 'bullied' by the group

Mr Millett, who lives alone with his dog, said he felt ‘intimidated’ and ‘bullied’ by the group

‘I had the lead round my neck and as soon as they approached me, I said fine, and clipped his lead on.

‘I told them I was totally unaware of the law and from now on would keep him on the lead. But they said I was getting a £75 on the spot fine. 

Fixed penalty notice: Mr Millett said the policy was 'ridiculous' if no one knew about it

Fixed penalty notice: Mr Millett said the policy was ‘ridiculous’ if no one knew about it

‘When I tried to walk off they said they would ring the police. I felt bullied, intimidated and harassed. I’m flabbergasted by it all.’

Mr Millett said he feared many of the tourists who visited Holmfirth with their dogs would be none the wiser about the local rules.

But a Kirklees Council spokesman said: ‘The public space protection order around keeping a dog on a lead in designated areas, replaced an earlier dog control order, and means that owners must keep their dog on a lead less than two meters in designated areas – these include Kirklees roads and pavements.’

Last month the council was forced to apologise after Kingdom wrongly fined a group of dog walkers in the Waterloo area of Huddersfield.

One of those caught, Kathryn Dhurmea, said an officer had told them there was a sign. But when she checked, there wasn’t one.

Their fines were refunded when it emerged the dog control order did not apply to the area where their dogs were off the leads. 

Dog control orders have been phased out and are being replaced with public space protection orders under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

They are being implemented across councils, with Local Government Association guidance stating that the area which they cover must be clearly defined on a map.

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