More bins won’t solve our dog mess problem (From Worcester News)

More bins won’t solve our dog mess problem

2:30pm Monday 22nd February 2010

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CALLS for more dog bins to be installed around Worcester have been rejected.

Council chiefs said the attitude of dog owners who do not pick up after their pets needs to change instead if the city is to become a cleaner place.

There are currently more than 200 dog bins in the city, which are emptied three times a week.

The issue of dog mess has become a hot topic again with the problem seemingly on the rise and a growing number of people voicing their concerns.

At a meeting of the city council’s performance management and budget scrutiny committee, opposition Labour councillors wondered whether more money should be spent on trying to tackle the problem.

However, Conservative leader Councillor Simon Geraghty said the public must play their part.

“People need to take responsibility for their dogs and it’s also up to members of the public to report an issue when they see it,” he said.

“We do need to see enforcement but we also need to see a civic responsibility from people that this is not acceptable behaviour.

“We need a change in culture.”

We reported in Tuesday’s Worcester News how West Mercia Police and Worcester, Wychavon and Malvern Hills district councils have handed out fewer than 20 fixed penalty notices across south Worcestershire in the last five years.

The councils said the reason why the figure was quite low was because most people could not be tracked down and the majority of those caught by dog wardens immediately cleared up their dog’s mess.

We also reported how dog wardens routinely patrol all parks and problem areas, but at the meeting Mike Harrison, head of cleaner and greener, said very few residents report cases to the council.

“We end up creating work for the hit squad rather than members of the public,” he said.

To report a problem in Worcester, call 01905 722233; in Wychavon, call 01386 565018, and in Malvern, call 01684 862151.

Your Worcester News was the only member of the media to attend this meeting.

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