Dog Fouling In Our Village - Please Clean It Up!

Pictured above: Bags of dog waste littered around the route (pictured below).

Tanya is a relatively new resident in the village who really enjoys walking her dog around Gore Farm and the Golf Course, spotting the owl, woodpeckers and rabbits on the way.

However, over the last few months this has changed.

Very recently, Tanya began to notice dog waste collected in bags, neatly knotted together but left, dumped or tucked in the hedgerows, perhaps by a new resident or new dog owner? 

When she spotted a bag dropped in the middle of the road, just like that, Tanya decided to walk her normal route again, this time collecting as many bags as she could on the way. She spotted over 10 bags, some she couldn't collect due to overgrowth or fences, some of the bags she collected had already begun to degrade, so were empty.

Responsible dog owners will find it impossible to understand the ethos of picking up your dog's waste, bagging it up, and then leaving the plastic bag in the middle of our countryside.

The worst areas affected were to the East of Oak Lane, but the bags were not all from one area, but spread across the entire route. Even the bushes along the road from Gore Farm to Chaffes Lane were littered with bags.

It's an exercise Tanya hopes not to have to repeat too often - especially without a litter picker, but one she would like all residents to know about.

Pictured above: The route where the bags of dog waste (pictured above) were collected.

It is an offence not to clean up after your dog.

You can be given an on-the-spot fine (FPN) of £80 if you do not clean up after your dog. 

If you refuse to pay the fine, you can be taken to court and fined up to £1,000.

Registered blind dog owners can’t be fined.

Dog mess is a health hazard!

Apart from being an unpleasant nuisance if you step in it, fall in it, cycle through it, or wheel your wheelchair through it, dog waste can also be a health hazard.

Both dog and cat faeces can contain the eggs of the roundworm 'Toxocara'. These eggs can survive in the soil for several years. If they are ingested or inhaled by humans, they may cause eye, liver, brain and respiratory problems such as asthma, hepatitis and epilepsy.

Children playing in fouled areas are most at risk.

Dog waste is also a potential health risk to farmers' livestock if you allow your dog to foul in their fields.

Do you really want any of these consequences on your conscience?

Please bag your dog waste and put it in any public litter bin or take it home to your household green bin.

If you see anyone not cleaning up after their dog, please report it to either PCSO John Cork on: 07772 226217 or the Parish Clerk on: 01634 363906.

Thank you for your support

On behalf of Tanya and Cllr Tyrone Ripley

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