Council axes scheme to reduce dog fouling

Council axes scheme to reduce dog fouling

14 March 2013 - by BY DAVID TELFORD

A HIGHLY successful pilot scheme which cut the amount of dog dirt on Down District streets has been ped.

Despite being told the scheme led to a “significant reduction” in dog dirt on the streets of Newcastle, Downpatrick and Ballynahinch, councillors have refused to provide any money to allow it to become fully operational.

After the success of the scheme council officers had asked the local authority’s rates working group — which forensically examines all council budgets before agreeing the district rate rise — for money to employ a new enforcement officer.

The move was in response to mounting concern about the dog fouling problem across the district. But the proposal was one of a number rejected by the working group set up to help keep the annual rates increase as low as possible.

Members of the local authority’s Environment Committee were told last week that a pilot scheme in 2011 which saw enforcement officers “blitz” a number of local towns in a bid to clampdown on the dog dirt problem was successful.

In a bid to strengthen the council department’s hand to deal with the issue it was hoping to be given permission to employ the additional officer.

Environmental Services Director, Canice O’Rourke, said the pilot project which focused on Newcastle, Ballynahinch and Killyleagh resulted in a “significant reduction” in the dog dirt problem.

“This was a six-month experiment and it was the Environment Committee’s view that we could handle the problem if we had an additional enforcement officer. But no money was allocated to provide one,” he continued.

The senior council official said he believes the dog dirt problem could be resolved, provided the resources required to do it are made available.

Councillor Garth Craig said while the majority of dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pets, there are a number who don’t. He suggested one way forward would perhaps be to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy on the dog fouling issue.

“The council resources are fixed and there is no cash for the additional enforcement officer we were looking for.

“Perhaps one way forward is to blitz our towns and villages at certain times with the staff we do have, rather than having our resources spread thinly on the ground,” he suggested. “It’s clear there is no easy answer to this problem.”

Councillor Carmel O’Boyle said the dog dirt issue is one that continually comes up, is “spoiling the district” and needs to be addressed.

Councillor Gareth Sharvin said while he agrees the dog dirt problem is district-wide, he expressed concern about concentrating solely on the main towns and villages.

He said dog dirt is as much of a problem in main towns as it is in villages and hamlets and that attention must also be paid to these areas.

The council committee agreed that as an initial first step, enforcement officers will spend five days in each of the district’s main towns of Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch once every three months in a bid to reduce the dog fouling problem.