Community and neighbourhood issues

If you think dog fouling is an issue where you live, you can ask for a No Dog Fouling sign to be placed there. 

We only place No Dog Fouling signs in public places, not on private property or residential buildings.

You’ll need to tell us:

• an exact address for the sign, or the name of a local landmark or nearby place - not a residential address as we only place signs in public spaces.
• your name
• your phone number or email.

We’ll only contact you if we need more information about your request.

You can upload photos where you want the sign to be placed.

You can also tell us any other useful information, for example, if a previous sign has been removed or damaged, or how long the dog fouling has been an issue.

There is a separate form for reporting a dog owner who does not pick up their dog's fouling.

Ask for a No Dog Fouling sign

You can also ask for a No Dog Fouling sign by:

• phone on 0300 300 0380
• email at wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

If you’ve given us an email address, we’ll send you a confirmation email with a reference number. 

We may contact you if we need more information about your request.

If we think a sign is needed where you’ve asked for it to be placed, we’ll put it up within 7 days of your request. This could be permanent signage, posters or stickers attached to street furniture, bins or lampposts.

However, we may not place a sign if there are already No Dog Fouling signs nearby, or we do not consider dog fouling to be an issue in the area.

If you see a person who does not pick up their dog's fouling, you can report it to us. We’ll investigate it and target our patrols if needed. 

Never challenge anyone aggressively about dog fouling or dog ownership.

If you think dog fouling is an issue where you live, you can ask for a No Dog Fouling sign to be placed there.
 

When you are out with your dog, you should make sure you always have a bag with you when you take the dog for a walk. 

If your dog defecates in a public space, you must put its waste in a plastic bag and put the bag in a dog waste bin or any outdoor public litter bin. 

Tell us as much detail as possible, including:

• the exact address if you know it, or the name of a local landmark or nearby place
• details of the incident, such as a description of the dog or person, name or address of the owner if you know it
• any other useful information, like the date or time (no longer than 10 days ago) or if it’s happened before
• your name
• your phone number or email address.

You can also upload photos if you have them. 

You can report the incident anonymously, however our investigation into the issue will be limited. 

If you tell us your name and contact details, this will help us to investigate a report fully.

Report dog fouling online

You can also report it by:

• phone on 0300 300 0380
• email at wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

If you’ve given us contact details, we may get in touch if we need more information. 

We’ll investigate your report, and our animal welfare wardens may patrol the area to make sure people pick up and bin their dog’s mess.  

However, we will not contact you with any updates on your report.
 

It's an offence to not clean up after your dog if it defecates: 

• in any public place including footpaths or grass areas
• on private land without the owner's consent.

It is the responsibility of the person in charge of the dog in public, not the owner.

You can be fined £80 issued under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 if you do not pick up the dog's mess and dispose of it properly. 

The penalty increases to £100 if it’s not paid within 28 days.
 

Fly-tipping is illegal dumping of waste. It damages the environment and leaves an unpleasant and possibly dangerous mess for the local community.

What to do if you see fly-tipping

If you discover dumped waste or see someone fly-tipping in Renfrewshire, you can report it to us online.

We are not responsible for removing fly-tipping on private land, or roads that are not publicly maintained highways. This is the responsibility of the private owner.

However, if you report fly-tipping on private land to us, we will investigate the issue and look for evidence of who is responsible for the fly-tipping.  

If you're reporting fly tipping in a block or communal garden, contact the local housing office or local housing association.

For abandoned trolleys, contact the supermarket directly about the trolley.

If you're caught fly-tipping, you could get:

• a fine of £500
• taken to court and fined up to £40,000 or a prison sentence.

Before you report fly-tipping, it will help if you can tell us:

• what type of items that have been dumped
• how much has been dumped
• where it has been dumped, like a pavement, open ground, park or other space
• if you saw the rubbish being dumped - when you saw it, how many people or details of any vehicles used.

You can also upload photos of the dumped items or location, if you have them.

When you complete the form, you can see on the interactive map if other people have reported the same issue.

Report fly-tipping

Phone 0300 300 0300.

If you provide us with an email address, we'll send you a confirmation email with a case reference number.

When we receive your report, we will:

• search the fly-tipping for any evidence of who did it
• ask people locally if they saw the waste being dumped
• review any available CCTV footage.
• If we need more information, we'll get in touch with you. 

Our teams also regularly check areas or locations where we know fly-tipping happens.

We'll remove graffiti in a public place also remove it from commercial properties.

We can also provide solutions material if this is a regular occurrence.

If you know who did it

If you know who is responsible for the graffiti, contact the Police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Calls to Crimestoppers are free and you can remain anonymous.

Find out what to do about antisocial behaviour including damage to property, vandalism or graffiti.

If the graffiti is on private or service company property

We do not remove graffiti from private properties or properties belonging to service companies.

If you know who owns or is responsible for the property, contact them directly using the details below.

You'll need to tell them the details of the graffiti and its location.

• Clear Channel who manage bus shelters
• British Telecom (BT) about damage to BT cables, poles, cabinets or manholes
• Network Rail about railway bridges or platforms
• Virgin Media on 0330 333 0444 and tell them the cabinet number or location if you can
• Royal Mail on 03457 740 740 about post boxes.

We also do not remove graffiti if it's on utility boxes, such as gas electricity, cable, or bus shelters.

If you know who owns the utility box or bus shelter, report it to them. 

Graffiti on roads, road borders or pavements

If it's graffiti on a road, road border or pavement, you'll need to report the problem to AMEY, who are responsible for Scotland's South West trunk roads network.

If you find graffiti in a public place, you can report it to us online.

It will help if you can tell us what kind of graffiti it is, where it is or if you saw someone doing it.

You can also upload photos of the graffiti and its location if you have them.

Before you submit your report, you can see if other people have reported the same issue on the interactive map.

Report graffiti

You can also phone 0300 300 0300 to report graffiti.

If you provide us with an email address, we'll send you a confirmation email with a case reference number.

When we receive your report, we will investigate the issue.

We give priority to removing graffiti that contains racial, sectarian, or obscene words and images. We'll remove it within 24 hours of being told about it.

If it's not offensive graffiti, we will investigate the issue and aim to remove it as soon as we can. However, if there is high demand, this may take longer than usual. 

If we need more information, we may contact you with the details you provided.

Let us know about litter that needs to be cleaned up, including full or overflowing public bins, glass, cigarettes, oil, or general litter in a public place. 

However, we are not responsible for rubbish dumped on private land or roads that are not publicly maintained. This is the responsibility of the landowner. 

We also schedule regular road sweeping and cleaning of road edges (gullies) in public areas.

If it's an issue with a road surface, roadside litter, overgrown grass verges or debris, you'll need to report the problem to AMEY, who are responsible for Scotland's South West highways and major roads.

If you see dog owners who do not pick up their dog's poo, let our animal wardens know, in confidence, by phoning 0300 300 0380 or emailing wardens.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If you are caught littering, you could get a fixed penalty fine of £80.

It will help if you can tell us what kind of litter it is or any other details, like when you found it or if you saw someone littering. 

You can also upload photos of the litter and the location if you have them.

Before you submit your report, you can see if other people have reported the same issue on the interactive map.

Report litter

You can also phone 0300 300 0300 to report litter.

If you provide us with an email address, we'll send you a confirmation email with a case reference number.

When we receive your report, we'll investigate the issue.

We aim to remove the litter as soon as we can. However, if there is high demand, this may take longer than usual. 

If we need more information, we may contact you with the details you provided.

If you’re a council tenant, you could get help with your garden, including grass cutting and hedge trimming.

The service includes cutting and edging grass every 2 weeks between April and October,  

We’ll take away the clippings afterwards.

We’ll also cut your hedges twice a year between May and July, and between August and November.

This service is available free for council tenants, where each adult in the household is:

• aged 60 years old or over
• under 60 years old, with a disability and can't look after the garden.

If you’re under 60 years old with a disability, you'll need to provide us with supporting medical evidence for this.

If you’re over 60, you do not need to provide us with any evidence or proof of age.

Contact your local Housing Officer if you think you're eligible for this service:

• paisley.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• johnstone.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• renfrew.hps@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

Or phone 0300 300 0222.

We’ll check your application within 10 working days and let you know by letter if you’re eligible or not for the service.

If you are, we’ll come to cut your grass and hedges within a few weeks of you getting your confirmation letter. 

The exact date will depend on the grass cutting schedule in your area. The date may also vary due to weather conditions or other factors.

If you apply outside of the garden servicing season (April to October), your first cutting will take place during April.  

There is no cost for council tenants who qualify for the assistance.