“We have old people, a disabled girl in a wheelchair and young children living in this street. It is very hard to walk on the footpath as dogs have always fouled in front of every house. No-one on our street has a dog. We need help to sort this problem. What can you do to help us? We are desperate.”
So reads a report to democracy website Fix My Street by Lodge Lane, Beeston, resident Farida Hussain.
Most dog owners are very responsible and do pick up after their pets, but some people in south Leeds choose to ignore the rules. Sadly Farida’s complaint is all too common.
Dog fouling is unsightly, unpleasant and can occasionally lead to toxocariasis in humans which can cause serious illness, even blindness.
And that’s why South Leeds Life is today lanching its Scoop It Up campaign with the support of a whole raft of local community groups, individuals and politicians – including Hilary Benn MP.
Through our campaign we aim to raise awareness of the issue, educate and persuade irresponsible dog owners to start cleaning up after their pets in streets, parks and playgrounds. Ise the bins in the parks or scoop it up and take it to your bin at home!
We also want to encourage residents to report where there are problems and the dog owners responsible. This isn’t a campaign against dogs – or the many responsible dog owners who do clean up. It isn’t the dog’s fault either!
Supporting, Scoop It Up, MP Hilary Benn said:
“I am backing South Leeds Life’s campaign to encourage more poop scoopers! No-one likes dog fouling, including the many responsible dog owners in South Leeds, and the campaign is trying to raise awareness so that everyone uses that scoop and the bins provided.”
The council says it is the responsibility of the dog owner or the person in charge of the dog to clear up any dog foul left by their pet. A fixed penalty notice of £75 will be issued to those who fail to clean up after their dog. Failure to accept or pay will result in prosecution action through the magistrates court, which carries a penalty of £1,000.
Those dog owners that bag the mess but don’t bin it (for example they dispose of the bag in a hedge, a tree or a garden) could face an additional offence for littering, which carries a separate maximum court penalty of £2,500.
Join our campaign and report problems!
You can help to take a stand against dog fouling in south Leeds by reporting offences to the council. Love dogs? Hate dog fouling? If you know of someone who persistently fails to pick up after their pet, report them – telephone 0113 222 4407 or email environmental.action@leeds.gov.uk.
You can also report problems to the council through the wonderful Fix My Street website.
You can also help South Leeds Life map where the biggest problems with dog fouling are by adding problem areas to our interactive map below:
[googlemaps http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=209848322150562424961.0004bdb6b8e460a311a89&msa=0&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=53.76739,-1.548611&spn=0.016653,0.00766&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Keep checking the South Leeds Life blog for the latest news. We also have a special section about the campaign at the top of our homepage.
