Pupils plea to dog owners to clean up

SCHOOLCHILDREN in Tumble are appealing to dog owners to please clean up after their pets.

Dog mess is a problem on a path behind the school, which leads to the local park.

The pupils use the path to walk to and from school as well as to get to the park and are fed-up of dodging the dog dirt.

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

Headteacher Gareth Rees said: “Local people and schoolchildren who use the footpath are always likely to come across incidents of dog fouling. Whenever children ask for permission to retrieve a ball from the path or wooded area behind the school, they are always at risk of stepping on dog mess. With the obvious health risks involved especially to some of our very young pupils something has to be done to address this matter and reduce this risk. Irresponsible dog owners must clean up their act.”

Figures show that there are some eight million dogs in the UK and 39% of households have at least one dog – that’s a lot of dog mess and if left can lead to serious health risks.

One of the main risks is toxocariasis which if passed to humans can cause all sorts of health problems, including blindness.

Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones went along to the school to hear their concerns.

He said: “The pupils have told me they have carried out litter picks along the path but that there is a lot of dog mess there too.

“Although the majority of dog owners are responsible, there are some that just do not care. As well as being very unpleasant, the health risks 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.”