Residents campaign for dog owners to scoop their pets' poop

Dog fouling in Trafalgar Square .Overview of the area. pic Richard Ponter 160830b

Residents and Friends of Trafalgar Square (RFTS) are campaigning for awareness against dog fouling which has became a major safety issue.

The group have put up signs, spoken to both the Dog Warden and the Neighbourhood Watch, and have installed their own waste bags so dog-walkers should have no excuse.

But dog fouling is still a huge problem in the square and residents who maintain the square are forced to clean the mess.

Dog fouling in Trafalgar Square . Action Group Eric Carey,Mags Thompson,Una Beaumont,Shirley Carey,Jacqueline Rowe , Martin Whelan ,hope to address the problem through awareness. pic Richard Ponter 160830a

Chairman of RFTS, Martin Whelan, said: “There is signage all over the place, some encouraging and others threatening, and we have installed waste bags.

“We have asked our members to keep an eye out and report anything.

“It’s unbelievable we can’t seem to control the problem in Scarborough.”

Matters became out of hand recently when the contractor responsible for cutting the grass areas complained that he had found an increase in dog  excrement.

Safety concerns are also a major issue as the area is frequently used by children and for fairs and events.

The problem has also spread to several other areas such as footpaths and back alleys.

Mr Whelan added: “We are exasperated – the people who are responsible have no regard for the residents here.

“We seem to be a magnet for people with dogs. We are encouraging everyone to work together to eradicate this very unhealthy, unpleasant and unacceptable problem by reporting offenders to the authorities.”

Russell Camm, Scarborough Borough Council Dog Warden, said: “Trafalgar Square has the benefit of some very pleasant communal public gardens, which are cared for on a voluntary basis by the residents and friends and maintained to a very high standard.

“It is such a shame when all this good work is spoiled by a minority of inconsiderate dog owners who fail to pick up after their dog.

“Combatting fouling is one of our main priorities and we work closely with the residents by acting on any information about fouling issues.

“We have in the past brought about successful prosecutions for fouling offences as a result of this and we also continue to patrol this and other areas at varying times of the day, often covertly, to target these offenders.”