The number of dog poo bins in Herefordshire is being cut. But this is okay as dog walkers can just use normal litter bins anyway, Herefordshire Council has said.

The current number of 1,302 dog waste bins in the county is set to fall “in line with budget reductions as per efficiency savings”, the council said in response to a freedom of information request – though it did not say by how many.

“Over the past few years, it has been common practice to phase out dedicated dog bins and utilise the standard public litter bins to cater for the waste,” the council’s response added.

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Eight damaged bins have been removed over the past year.

Meanwhile the number of public complaints made to the council over dog fouling in public places actually fell in the year up to last month, to 80 – down from 162 over the previous 12-month period.

The council said it does not record complaints of dog fouling on private land.

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There were three prosecutions or £80 fixed-penalty notices issued for not cleaning up dog waste in the year to March, compared to two in the previous year, the council said.

According to Keep Britain Tidy, which was responsible for the “There’s no such thing as the dog poo fairy” campaign, being unaware that your dog has fouled, or not having a bag to pick it up in, are not a reasonable excuses in law.

A scheme was signed off a year ago to recruit a private firm to enforce laws on dog fouling and littering in Herefordshire. But the council later revealed it was never acted on.