Clean up after your dog or you risk £1,000 fine (From Worcester News)

Clean up after your dog or you risk £1,000 fine

11:30pm Monday 26th July 2010 in Take Pride Headlines

PLEASE DON’T LEAVE A MESS: Worcester has 240 dog bins, which are emptied up to three times a week. 05422001

BAG it and bin it is the message to dog owners to help keep the city’s streets clean.

It is national scoop the poop week and Worcester City Council has joined forces with the Dogs Trust to highlight the problem of not clearing up your dog’s mess when out and about.

Although many dog owners are responsible and already bag it and bin it, a few are still not taking the message on board – and it is resulting in thousands of complaints a year to local authorities, both in Worces-ter and beyond.

It is hoped the week – which runs until Sunday – will encourage owners to keep our city’s open spaces clean for the rest of the summer.

Your Worcester News is keen to emphasise the importance of using one of Worcester’s 240 dog bins or offenders could face a £1,000 on-the-spot fine.

Just taking two minutes to scoop the poop is not only saving the park wardens and street cleaners time, but also making sure others don’t step in what your dog has left behind. Michelle Newell, a park warden for Worcester City Council, said: “We have to spend a lot of time cleaning when we’re doing events and activities in the park. It’s something we have to check for and we have to allow time. It can be a problem.

“It’s just unpleasant. We would rather people did not feel embarrassed and came up and asked us for another bag if they’ve run out.”

Chris Slight, manager of the Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Evesham, said: “When irresponsible dog owners fail to scoop their dog’s poop, it’s the reputation of Worcestershire’s dogs that really suffers and I’m delighted to hear that Worcester City Council is taking part in this year’s Poop Scoop Week.

“If every dog owner acts responsibly and fulfils their duty then we can all look forward to poop-free strolls and picnics in our local parks this summer.

“We want poop scoop week to be about saying thank you and well done to the millions of well-behaved dog owners, but also to remind the irresponsible minority that your dog can’t pick up after himself.”

For more on our campaign, simply go to worcesternews.co.uk/take_pride_ 2010.

Poop scoop: What to do BAG IT – Once the dog’s poop has been scooped, carefully turn the plastic bag inside out and your dog’s mess will then be bagged.

BIN IT – Dispose of your bag in a poop bin. Worcester has 240 dog bins, which are emptied up to three times a week.