Council slammed for not tackling Bromsgrove dog mess problem

Buy photos » District coun Chris Bloore is shocked the council have not issue any fixed penalty notices for dog fouling in three months. (s)

BROMSGROVE District Council has been criticised for failing to tackle dog fouling and letting irresponsible pet owners make a mess of the town.

At the council's last overview and scrutiny meeting it was revealed enforcement officers did not issue any on-the-spot fines for the problem between October and December last year.

In fact only one case of dog fouling was investigated where 'no further action was taken' compared to 20 cases of fly tipping and 16 instances of fly posting which were taken up by the council in the three month period.

Coun Chris Bloore said the problem was rife throughout the district as well as Sidemoor where he represents.

In November the council relaunched its 'Mucky pup? Clean it up!' campaign which involves officers spraying dog mess orange to highlight the problem before cleaning it up.

However Coun Bloore claimed it was ineffective and called for more to be done.

"I was shocked to discover the council had not handed out one fixed penalty notice for dog fouling in recent months.

"Dog fouling not only makes our parks and paths messy and unsightly, but also creates a health hazard.

"Whether walking to the local shops or children returning to and from school, the current level of dog fouling is of great concern to local residents."

He added a tiny proportion of irresponsible dog owners were causing the mess by not cleaning up after their four-legged friends.

"Whilst I am pleased the council has improved its provision of dog bins we must do more."

Overview and scrutiny members also expressed concern over the problem and questioned whether the 'Mucky pup' campaign was a cost effective remedy.

A council spokeswoman said: "It is difficult to issue enforcements on offending dog owners who let their pets poop in public areas and don’t pick it up as we literally have to catch them in the act during our patrols or rely on witnesses to come forward .

"So we do try and encourage residents to pick up after their pooch in a host of different ways."

The spokeswoman said the Love Where You Live and Mucky Pup campaigns were part of educating residents to behave differently.

She added the council had also given out free poop bags and cut grass verges to make them less attractive to dogs.

Anyone wishing to report an instance of dog fouling can contact the council's customer service centre on 01527 881288.

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