Dog fouling and lead rules across Cheshire East, plus the Carrs in Wilmslow, run for three more years. The legal maximum fine rises from £100 to £500 in October.
Cheshire East’s rules on dog fouling and dog control are staying for another three years. The council renewed them on 23 September, with no changes. Only 22 people across the whole borough answered the consultation.
The decision covers three orders:
- the borough-wide dog fouling and dog control order, first made in November 2017
- a separate, stricter order for the Carrs park in Wilmslow, first made in October 2020
- the alley gating order, which keeps gates locked on rights of way across the borough
All three were due to lapse in October. The decision was published as approved on 23 September and can be called in by councillors until 30 September. If no call-in is made, it takes effect on 1 October. None had been lodged when we checked (decision record).
What the rules say
The borough-wide order now runs for three years from 1 November 2026. It applies to every public place in Cheshire East, including Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford and the villages (extended order, Appendix A).
- Pick up after your dog, straight away. A council bin or any waste bin counts as removing it.
- “I didn’t see it” is no defence. Nor is not having a bag with you. The order rules out both as a reasonable excuse.
- Put your dog on a lead if an authorised person tells you to. They can only ask if it is needed to stop a nuisance, or to stop the dog annoying people or worrying another animal.
An authorised person can be a police officer, a PCSO or a council officer. The order says it can also be someone who does not work for the council. They must show their authorisation if you ask.
People who are registered blind or sight-impaired are exempt from the fouling rule. So is anyone whose disability means they cannot reasonably be expected to clear up. Working dogs are exempt while they are working, including farm dogs herding animals and police and search dogs.
The Carrs, Wilmslow: four dogs each, and lead-only zones
The Carrs has had its own order since it was a Dog Control Order in 2012. The renewed version runs for three years from 20 October 2026 (Carrs Park order, Appendix B). On top of the fouling rule, it sets out three things:
- No more than four dogs per person anywhere in the park area shown on the order’s first map
- Dogs on a lead when an authorised person directs it, in the area on the second map
- Dogs on a lead at all times in the area on the third map
The maps are part of the published order. Check the signs on site for where each zone starts.
Fines: £100 now, but the law changes in October
The council’s page says a breach of any of its orders means a £100 fixed penalty notice, or a fine of up to £1,000 if the case goes to court (Cheshire East PSPO page). The renewal report says extending the orders “would not affect the amounts charged”.
That £100 is the legal maximum today, but not for much longer. Section 4 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 raises the ceiling for a PSPO fixed penalty from £100 to £500. The government has set that change to start on 26 October 2026 (Commencement No. 3 Regulations, regulation 4).
So the renewed orders will be in force when councils gain the power to charge up to five times as much. Cheshire East has not said whether it will raise its fine. Nothing in the renewal papers proposes it.
Who answered the consultation
The consultation ran from 17 August to 14 September. The council promoted it through the media, some signs on site, and emails to councillors, town and parish councils, MPs and the police (consultation report, Appendix D).
The response was small:
| Order | Responses | Agreed it should be extended | Neither agreed nor disagreed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borough-wide dog order | 22 | 21 | 1 |
| The Carrs, Wilmslow | 9 | 8 | 1 |
Most of the Carrs responses came from the Macclesfield area. Most respondents were 55 or over, none was under 35, and seven of the nine were men. The borough-wide responses had “a higher concentration” from Buerton, a village at the far southern end of the borough near Audlem.
The Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner backed all three orders. Cranage Parish Council formally supported the borough-wide one.
Most respondents wanted tougher rules
People answering the borough-wide consultation were also asked which extra rules they would back in a future order. They could choose more than one:
- 17 wanted dogs banned from some areas, such as enclosed children’s play areas
- 16 wanted owners to have to carry bags or another way of clearing up
- 16 wanted dogs kept on leads in some areas, such as parks
- 10 wanted a limit on how many dogs one person can walk
- 2 wanted none of these
Nine people added comments. They asked for better signs, more bins, tighter control of professional dog walkers, dog-free areas and dog licences.
None of this is in the renewed order. The report says the council “will also consider additional measure following extension”. It gives no timetable. Its own options table warns that a wider order “is unlikely to be enforceable from an existing staffing resource perspective” (renewal report).
Nine officers for the whole borough
That staffing point runs through the report. Cheshire East has nine Community Enforcement Officers covering the entire borough. The same officers deal with fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles. The report says any requests for more patrols “will have to be considered whilst taking account of the available staff resource capacity at the time”.
The cost of renewing is limited to new signs and legal fees, paid from the existing enforcement budget. We looked at how that team’s fly-tipping enforcement has fallen in our story on the council’s new fly-tipping fines.
Alley gates stay locked
The alley gating order keeps gates across public rights of way that the council says were being used for crimes such as burglary. It too runs for another three years. Its schedule includes two gates in Macclesfield, on public footpath 97 between Vincent Street and Buckley Street (alley gating order, Appendix C).
One person objected online, giving no reason beyond the words “Stop antisocial behaviour.” The police said the gates have “significantly reduced anti-social behaviour and crime” where they are in place.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on the ground. If you already clear up and put your dog on a lead when asked, you are within the rules.
- Carry a bag. Not having one does not get you off a fixed penalty.
- At the Carrs, count your dogs. More than four at once breaks the order, and some areas are lead-only.
- Watch for the fine. It is £100 today. From 26 October the law lets councils charge up to £500.
- To report dog fouling or an out-of-control dog, call Cheshire East on 0300 123 5021.
Macclesfield town centre has its own separate order, covering anti-social behaviour. It was renewed in July 2025 for three years (Macclesfield town centre PSPO). The council is also consulting until 14 October on a new order against anti-social driving and car meets, which we covered here.
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