Dog owners in Llanbradach who fail to clear up after their pet have been targeted in a ‘flagging up’ operation.
The issue of dog fouling was highlighted to residents of Llanbradach last week when Environmental Health officers from Caerphilly County Borough Council, in partnership with Gwent Police, took part in a ‘flagging’ event in the grounds of Llanbradach Library.
Over 20 flags were placed across a 10 metre stretch of land, showing the places where dog owners have failed to clean up after their pets.
Officers were also on hand to speak to dog walkers about the importance of cleaning up after their pet and the dangers dog faeces present to people and the environment, especially in areas where young children are likely to be playing.
Enforcement officers have the power to issue on the spot £75 fixed penalty notices to people who fail to clean up after their dog. Non-payment of this notice will result in a court prosecution where magistrates can fine up to £1,000.
Last year nearly 50 people in the county borough were hit in the pocket with fixed penalty notices for allowing their dog to foul in a public place and not cleaning up the mess.
Cllr David Poole, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Community & Leisure Services, said: “Dog fouling is an issue that is consistently flagged up by our residents, and enforcement action against the minority who still feel it is acceptable not to pick up after their dog will remain a high priority for this council.
“This flagging up exercise in Llanbradach is designed to embarrass irresponsible owners into taking their environmental responsibilities seriously – the message is clear – pick up or pay up.”
I always support higher fines but who is going to police this. I walk around Caerphilly quite a lot and see dogs ex creating onto pavements but no people of authority are nearby to issue a ticket.
A real problem Dean, but, do you expect, and, you prepared to pay higher rates, in order to have a civic enforcement attendant standing by to issue a ticket just waiting for these criminals to do their evil deed on the highway? It always surprises me that there are people prepared to take on the job of observing, all day, waiting for this henious offence to be perpetrated. Get a life for goodness sake.
The solution? prepare dog owners in a targeted area that their action are going to be monitored by extensive advertising of the fact, warn dog owners to prepare themselves with doggy bags, and if they are then `observed` not cleaning up after their dogs slap them with a £200 fine, But, any secret surveilance undertaken by some jobs worth who gets some satisfaction from pouncing out on otherwise law abiding citizens is the stuff for weak minded low ability brainless cretins who get some form of job satisfaction from waking up in the morning punching air, with the thought that “I am going to deal with dog poo all day today”!!!! Caerphilly Borough council will be creating a medal next for the most poo tickets issued in the borough, a `badge of extreme excellence`.
For the record, I am a dog owner, I always clean up after my dog, always have done always will, I have never been warned , asked or issued, with a fine, and I never will be, so any sour grapes you may read into my comments come purely from a position of fair play and common sence, something those in Caerphilly Borough council lack when it comes to applauding themselves every month or so for the numbers of fines they have issued, that is, in fact, a sign of failure of their policies not success.
You fall into the sensible bracket where dog owners do take responsibility and set a good example, however, we both agree there are many who don’t.
Quite right, I don’t want to pay higher rates for jobs worths. You could increase the fines enough so once paid the fines cover the cost of more enforcement officers. Jobs will be created and the community will be cleaner. If people can’t pay, the next step would be court orders and bailiffs. Once the news has been broken that CCBC has used bailiffs to recoup fine money and legal costs it will be a huge deterrent (CCBC could even fake the story and put it in a national newspaper to scare people).
The eternal problem of dog mess, just what can be done about it. As always it is probably the minority who give the majority a bad name, there are many irresponsible dog owners who allow their dogs to mess on pavements, they open the door in the morning and kick the dog out so it can go and mess anywhere but their owners back yard. You can’t walk anywhere without quickly coming across another pile of mess, the lovely cycle route which runs through Machen is covered in the stuff, not very pleasant for children and parents out on a cycle ride. Maybe those caught could be made to do community service cleaning up dog mess, or name and shame those caught in the local media, perhaps the dog wardens could increase their patrols – I’ve never seen one in Caerphilly, bring back the dog licence to pay for more dog wardens. Just like folk dropping litter, dog mess is a problem that sadly I don’t think can ever be eradicated.
Paul: you say “perhaps the dog wardens could increase their patrols” -What dog wardens are these then?
I agree that bringing back a `dog licensing` system would go towards solving a number of issues with the dogs and their welfare and management, and, would bring in additional finance for the Council.
Whilst I agree with the law in cleaning up dog mess. I think that a far more serious problem is with the amount of broken glass on the pavements and walkways. For me that is a far more dangerous problem!
CORRECT-
The Path into the Castle Grounds From Cardiff Road is consistantly shrewn with broken glass from patrons of the Beer Garden of The Courthouse Pub purposely smashing glasses onto this path.
The solution?, at the end of every day send a Pub worker to clean this mess up. We`ll be watching.
The canal at Pontywaun is closed for repairs at the moment but there will come a time when it will re-open. Maybe the Council will then be able to see its way clear to prevent errant dog owners from allowing their dogs to foul the towpath to the detriment of other users. Properly maintained closed circuit T.V. might do the job. Bearing ion mind that you have to catch hem before you can stop them. We will see what transpires when the canal bank is open again.