The amount of dog mess on the streets of Alderley Edge is a disgrace.
I realise the problem is caused by a minority of dog owners but what is wrong with these people?, why do they think it is acceptable to leave this mess on the pavements?
In October we published an article Council vows to get tough on dog fouling but it doesn't seem to have made any difference in the village, infact the problem appears to be worse than ever.
I walk my daughters to and from school, and every day we have to avoid dog mess on route, it has become a daily challenge and has been particularly difficult to avoid recently down London Road, between the park and girl's school, and down Brook Lane because of the frequency of it on the pavements.
On Tuesday my mother-in-law stepped in some dog mess and last week a little girl in my daughter's class trod dog mess all around the classroom, which must have been particularly unpleasant.
Ironically, having drafted this article yesterday lunchtime, both my daughters came home from school, having been under grandad's watch, with dog mess on their shoes. The only saving grace is we noticed it before they stepped inside but I really resent having to clean it off because some dog owners are too selfish to pick up after their pets.
When we have visitors they regularly comment on the amount of dog mess in what is reported to be one of the most sought-after places to live in the UK.
One regular visitor contacted alderleyedge.com last month about this probem.
Patricia Wongsam said "I am extremely disappointed that, unlike others areas I visit regularly, there is no provision for dog waste and an encouragement for dog owners to collect their dogs waste and bin it.
"Over the last few days I have had to clean the pushchair wheels 3 times, and my shoes and the baby's wellingtons because of the amount of dog waste on your pavements.
"I am quite astounded at the amount of waste spreading over your streets. Surely your Council has to address this problem as you are way behind other areas, in my opinion."
It is illegal to fail to clear up after your dog if it fouls on any land which is open to the air and to which the public has access. The penalty for contravening the act is a £50 fixed penalty fine.
Back in October Cheshire East Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member with responsibility for safer and stronger communities, said: "We will not hesitate to issue fixed penalty notices of £50 as part of tough action against irresponsible owners".
Clearly fixed penalties and the "tough action" are not an effective deterrent in Alderley Edge. Possibly due to a lack of enforcement, or maybe because £50 is not a sufficient amount.
A number of other local authorities around the country already have a higher penalty fee of £75 and one frustrated council in Lancashire recently asked the government to consider changing the law so that it could issue fines of £1,000. Perhaps Cheshire East should follow suit.
I contacted Cheshire East Council yesterday, even before my girls came home with their shoes caked in dog mess, to ask how many times the Community Wardens have visited Alderley Edge in the past 12 months and how many fixed penalty notices have been issued here. I'll let you know the response.
What do you think about the dog fouling on the pavements of Alderley Edge? Is it just me, or do others consider it to be a big problem in the village?
Do you think the fixed penalty should be increased or do you have any other ideas for tackling this problem?
Share your opinion in the comments below.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The park is the major place, the walk from the station car park to Davy Lane - "Dog Poo Alley", Lydiat Lane and Brook Lane. i know there are many other areas as well. please let me know either at the council or through here, and i will get him to look at it.
I sometimes look after my brothers Collie. It is no hardship to carry a bag around with you. Most owners know when their dog is due to go and should be more responsible. I too watch people let them off the lead and then don't watch them, as well as seeing people just let their dogs go on th lead and move off!! Yes, I agree the fine should be higher and I would like to name and shame.
Plus, I am now on the lookout in the park for disposable nappies left lying around. Yuk
People should know better and have respect for health and for animal welfare.These people are spoiling it for responsible dog owners.
Will also see if more bins are needed and where they should be.
I recently asked the dog warden for some stickers to put up on Upcast Lane nr the bottom of Brook Lane and I think it has helped, although the bin on the Wilmslow Sports field has plenty of poo bags in it now - still, better than on the lane or footpath.
From Cheshire East website:
The Dog (fouling of land) Act 1996 was adopted and means that:
It is illegal to fail to clear up after your dog if it fouls on any land which is open to the air and to which the public has access.
The penaly for contravening the act is a £50 fixed penalty fine. If the fine is not paid within 14 days, then this may lead to prosecution in a magistrates court with a maximum fine of a £1000.
Patrols are carried out in areas that are regulary fouled.
At this time of year I've witnessed people covering their dog mess with fallen leaves, rather than pick up. So then the problem is even worse as you can't even see where it is to avoid it.
I can't see that introducing more bins will really help, as the problem seems to be more that people just don't pick up. The minority of dog owners need to be made aware the potential danger, the strength of feeling and that the law will be enforced. Is it possible to challenge anyone walking a dog to show that they are carrying bags? In particularly badly affected areas can CCTV footage be used?
It is infuriating that the minority spoil the enjoyment of the village for the majority. In Central Park in New York, dogs can only foul in specific areas, which are fenced off. Here, we fence off where the children play, and allow the dogs to foul anywhere!
Why do people walk their dogs and not carry a bag to clear up after the dogs? It is a form of anti-social behaviour and perhaps persistent offenders should be issued with ASBO'S and banned from the local area for a period.
Dog wardens can help, of course they can. But we have a number of streets and the public purse cannot stretch to patrolling every street every day. Why should the public purse have to clear up after irresponsible owners?
Let us press forward with any action which actually changes the behaviour of the selfish humans! And let's make sure the exercise is cost neutral to the public purse - in other words if we have to deploy lots of resources to fix the problem, then the penalties against offenders must recover the costs.
Personally - I would make the failure to carry appropriate poo bags an offence. On the other hand, I would also require the Council to provide sufficient poo bins - I am of the opinion that some people do not like carrying around a bag of poo and if they were able to bin it promptly, much more poo would be picked up.
Marc, father to William the Border Collie.
Emails to clerk at parish on with suggestions for sites which would be well used or just useful.
2. Frequently there are no bins at all.
We need strategic bins at the ends of footpaths so that people can pick up as they walk a route and drop off when they emerge onto the street.
The Netherfields bin is the classic example and really improved the situation along those paths.
Fair play to you last week apologising for your 'off your radar' comment on the clearing of leaves on Congleton Rd etc.; you do get some 'full-on feedback' and I would never be able to do do your job. But, in the spirit of Christmas humour to read your entry on, what I accept is a serious issue, "Dogs should have to prove that their owners are responsible", it really does take Winalot!
Enjoy Christmas.
If any of the culprits are reading this then a; please hang your head in shame, and b; hope you don't run into me while you allow your dog to foul without clearing up.
Dog faeces are highly toxic and young children do have a habit of touching their feet whilst sitting on the floor at school.
I remember remonstrating with one elderley gent a few years back by the Royal Oak and he said he had not seen his dog defecate, please, when I chided him and also told him the above he told me that the children should remove their shoes in class, so no contrition there then.
We have recently had a dog doing it's business on the top of our path and my husband finally caught the culprit 2 Sundays ago. It was a young boy about 9 years old, he said sorry and told us his mum did not give him a bag??? His parents were most definitely to blame as they were obviously too lazy to walk the dog themselves.