Ask any community for their top three concerns and the list will often include dog fouling.
Conscious of this, Monmouthshire County Council has been working with a group of town and community councils as well as local police community support officers to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets, and to enforce the law against those who do not.
Local campaign Give Dog Fouling the Red Card has installed dog mess bins and signs as well as providing free dog poo bags. Pavement spray signs – temporary warnings using a template and chalk – have also been applied in areas where dog fouling is a particular problem. This is backed by training provided to police community support officers who are able to issue fixed penalty notices for £75 to offenders caught allowing their dogs to foul in public areas. County council environmental health officers will be targeting areas in the New Year in conjunction with town and community councils and the Give Dog Fouling the Red Card initiative.
Town and community councils involved in the scheme have reported a reduction in dog fouling. Robert Stallard of Rogiet Community Council said: “This scheme is cutting the amount of dog fouling on our streets and footpaths. We are asking residents to report irresponsible dog owners and support this initiative”.
The County Council is inviting more local councils to become partners in the scheme. As well as a factor in improving the environment, a tangible benefit of this greater community participation is that it becomes more cost effective to purchase materials when expenditure can be reduced through bulk buying.
Monmouthshire County Council Leader Peter Fox added: “The community is frustrated by a minority who do not clean up after their dogs; we deplore this and there really is no excuse. Our environmental health and waste teams have been working effectively with local councils to put in place local initiatives such as Give Dog Fouling the Red Card which has helped to raise awareness and achieved a notable measure of success.
For further information contact Monmouthshire’s Education and Awareness Officer Sue Parkinson Tel : 01633 644525
