Early start this morning – met with Worcester City Council enforcement officers Luke and Scott at 6am to join their patrol around Battenhall and St Peter’s as part of Dog Fouling Awareness Week.

I didn’t get elected especially to tackle dog fouling but being a councillor means dealing with some unsavoury things that are actually very important. Battenhall and St Peters is a pretty nice area. Most dog walkers do pick up after their dogs but I guess there will be always be a small minority of antisocial people that let us down. The places I most worry about are paths and pavements leading to schools. I hate to think of children walking to school and stepping in dog poo.

What happens with Dog Fouling Awareness Week?

Whilst walking around the area Luke and Scott chatted to dog walkers and handed out a leaflet about dog fouling. They are a visible presence – the hope is that word gets around that enforcement officers are around and do patrols.

 

Luke and Scott marked up all the fouling we came across with a red chalk spray. This highlights the dog poo presence so that it’s less likely for people to tread in it and a report is made for a team to come and clear it up which I understand generally happens within 24 hrs.

The team have a stencil to make a sign saying “Clean It Up”. It’s a visible sign that they have been patrolling the area. If there is not much rain the signs last for a few weeks. If you know someone that is repeatedly not picking up their dog’s poo it’s possible to report them confidentially. Let’s stamp out this poor behaviour.