Pupils’ plea to dog owners to clean up

CHILDREN at a Carmarthen school are appealing to dog owners to please clean up after their pets.

Pupils at Richmond Park School are fed-up of dodging the dog dirt along an adjacent footpath which they use daily to walk to and from school.

They are now trying to raise awareness of the problem within the local community and encouraging dog owners to behave responsibly.

They are also urging local residents to report anyone they see failing to clean up after their dogs to the council’s environmental enforcement section.

Enforcement officers will be stepping up patrols in the area and anyone caught can be fined £100, or a maximum fine of £1,000 if prosecuted in court.

Headteacher Helen Davies said: “Failing to clean up after your dog is anti-social, smelly and dangerous but dog fouling sadly seems to be on the rise, costing the council thousands of pounds in cleaning it up. Surely local residents would prefer this money to be put to better use for themselves and their children, particularly in light of current budget cuts. We now need residents’ help to identify the people who do not seem to care about others or what their dog does in public areas and ensure they are reported.”

Dog mess left anywhere can cause significant health implications. One of the main risks is toxocariasis which if passed to humans can cause all sorts of health problems, including blindness.

Environmental enforcement manager Paul Morris said: “The majority of dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pets, but there are some that just do not care. As well as being very unpleasant, the health risks associated with dog mess are extremely serious.

“Our enforcement officers carry out regular patrols across the county and anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog will be fined. However, we can’t be everywhere at once, and we rely on members of the public to report offenders to us.

“Information can be given in confidence and we can use it to target specific areas at specific times. If people are willing to act as witnesses then we can also issue fines.”