Wardens under fire over fining blind man for dog mess

A BLIND pensioner was stunned when he was hit with a fine after his guide dog made a mess.

Albert McFall, 76, had no idea that his dog Copper had relieved himself when the community wardens swooped and gave him the 40 fixed penalty. However, the wardens were criticised yesterday because guide dogs are exempt from the fines.

Mr McFall, from Renfrew, said: "It is totally unbelievable. There couldn't have been any doubt I was blind because I had the fluorescent armband and my registered disabled armband.

"I tried to explain the situation to the wardens, but they didn't care. I think they had been waiting and watching.

"All they were interested in was getting names in their books. It doesn't seem right."

Mr McFall is registered blind and has had Copper, a golden labrador, for the past eight years.

The dog needs regular exercise and is taken out at least four times a day. Normally, Copper does his business in the back garden of Mr McFall's home.

When Mr McFall was hit with the fine, he had taken his dog down to a stretch of waste ground beside the motorway.

Mr McFall said the patch of land was covered with dog dirt. He said: "The place is a bit of a mess.

"I think the only people who go down there are dog walkers because of the state it's in.

"I know five or six people who take their dogs down there, but I've never heard of this happening to anyone else."

Mr McFall, a reitred computer operator, was taken aback when the wardens told him he'd broken the law.

He couldn't see the fine they'd handed over, or the letter that was sent out by Renfrewshire Council days later.

A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: "We apologise unreservedly to Mr McFall and have cancelled the penalty notice."