A MAN who left his dogs barking in kennels at night has been ordered to pay £12,800 in fines and court costs after being prosecuted by Cornwall Council.

Following a two-day trial at Truro Magistrates’ Court on March 25 and 26, Norman Dalgarno, of Lords Meadow in Tregony, was convicted of four charges relating to breaches of a Community Protection Notice (CPN) and one for refusing to provide landowner details.

The Court heard that Dalgarno, 74, kept his dogs in kennels around 20m from nearby homes, while living in a separate residential area of Tregony more than 260m from the site.

Despite repeated warnings from council officers, Dalgarno did not monitor the site effectively or prevent night-time barking noise, and therefore was found to have breached the CPN. Dalgarno also refused to provide details of the landowner when legally required.

Dalgarno received fines totalling £2,000 plus an £800 victim surcharge, and was ordered to pay £10,000 towards prosecution costs, bringing the total to £12,800.

In addition, the magistrates felt the conviction serious enough to grant a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order, prohibiting Mr Dalgarno from keeping dogs at the site and from allowing dogs under his control to cause nuisance or annoyance to the local community.

Cllr Thalia Marrington, cabinet member with responsibility for Community Safety and Public Protection at Cornwall Council, said: “This case demonstrates our commitment to protecting residents from persistent nuisance behaviour.

“Excessive dog barking can have a serious impact on quality of life, particularly at night, and we will continue to take firm action where enforcement notices are ignored.”

Cornwall Council encourages residents experiencing ongoing noise problems or other forms of anti-social behaviour to report concerns via the council’s website.