Residents in the conservation village of Marton near Kirkbymoorside are angry that irresponsible dog owners are allowing their pets to foul grass areas and villagers are campaigning to address this anti-social behaviour, possibly caused in part by visitors to the village.
Says Terry Wallis, Neighbourhood Watch Area Co-Ordinator with special responsibilty for Marton:
“The aim of Neighbourhood Watch is to bring neighbours together to create strong, friendly, active communities where crime and anti-social behaviour are less likely to happen. Dog mess is an eyesore and a health hazard and in our village we have had some complaints of dog fouling in the past, but matters became out of hand recently when the contractor responsible for cutting the car park and river bank grass area complained that his men had found no less than twenty-one areas of dog excrement which makes it unpleasant when cutting grass either with a mower or a strimmer – of particular concern is the fact that children frequent these areas. Dog excrement has also been reported to me in several other areas of the village and it is selfish and unacceptable anti-social behaviour”
“If you are a dog owner, you have a legal duty to clean up every time your dog messes in a public place. There are two bins in Marton village clearly marked for the disposal of dog bags. Councils now have more power to tackle public dog mess under the Clean Neighbours and Environment Act 2005 and can issue fixed penalty orders and in very serious cases magistrates can issue a maximum penalty of £1,000. So our message is clear: Clean It Up !!!!”
“Supported by local Dog Warden, Brian Dunn, notices have been placed around the village to send out a clear message to all dog owners to control their pets and to clear up after their dogs and we are encouraging everyone to work together to eradicate this very unhealthy, unpleasant and unacceptable problem by reporting offenders to the Authorities.”
“After all, a single dog mess can contain approximately one million microscopic eggs. Toxocara eggs are not infectious until they embryonate – usually 2-3 weeks after they have been deposited by a dog (therefore freshly deposited faeces in not infectious) – but beyond that period it can cause serious eye damage and other illness, especially to young children.”
“I have also had complaints of nuisance dog barking within the village and again such persistent dog barking is not acceptable by law – again, it is anti-social behaviour which could lead to Court action”
“I would emphasise that nobody at all in our village is against residents keeping dogs and pets – all that they ask is that they are controlled, which is a reasonable request as we all take a pride in our village”