Dog owners in French town ‘threatened with £60 fine’ to curb pets’ ‘excessive barking’

The problem of ‘excessive barking’ from dogs in a French town has caused the mayor to take drastic action.

Plagued with ‘unbearable’ noise for years, Jean-Pierre Estienne, the mayor of Feuquières in northern France, has reportedly decided to introduce a £60 fine on pet owners whose dogs are caught constantly yapping.

Mayor Estienne believes the measures are necessary because residents in the town, that has a population of around 1,500, have been complaining about the noise for years.

He told Le Parisien: ‘The goal is not to ban dogs.

‘The town has nothing against dogs, but when we decide to have them, we educate them.

‘The goal is to respond to an unbearable situation experienced by some residents of the town, who complained for years.’

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The new rules will mean dogs will be banned from going anywhere without their owners, who must stop their pets from ‘prolonged or repeated barking’.

Animal rights activist Stéphane Lamart slammed the new rules, telling Le Monde: Dogs have a mouth, it’s to bark!

‘People are happy when they give the alert in case of burglary.’