Consulting Structural & Civil Engineers in Marple Bridge

Author Topic: Dog poo fouled footpaths  (Read 47321 times)

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marplerambler

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #35 on: March 31, 2015, 06:32:43 PM »
The photographs of the dog poo on the Middlewood Way make the route seem pretty horrendous but I think this is an unfair picture - lots of dogs with lots of owners and I do not ever remember seeing a dog doing its business and its owner not removing it (I am generally pretty snotty and say if I see anything like this happening). I have been using it regularly for fifteen years to walk to and from the bus stop and station and can recall few occasions when the calling cards have been ignored by the owners. The dog owners in the area are usually pretty responsible and just clear up as a matter of routine - this certainly doesn't happen in a lot of places. Nearly all owners clear up after their dogs whether it be on the metalled surface or on the verges. I don't have a dog and I don't have a bee in my bonnet because I see so many of the owners carrying the bags to the dog-poo bins so I give the dog owners in the area nine out of ten.

The only reason it is not 10/10 is that it was sad was to see a mountain of poo-bags accumulate during a hot summer a few years ago at the time that the section of thee Middlewood Way behind Woodville Drive was metalled. A works truck reversed and demolished the poo-bin, the bin was removed and for about three hot summer months collection ceased. Dog walkers scooped up the poo in bags and then a small proportion of them threw the bags to form a pile at the entrance to the passageway to Woodville Drive - the stink was dreadful!

I pestered the parks & rec dept of Stockport MBC and the bin was eventually replaced and collections for incineration were resumed.

About three months ago a mattress was dumped and lay in Wood Lane car park for a couple of weeks. I was passing as the Council worker was clearing the bin at the passageway to Woodville Drive and I mentioned the dumped mattress to the driver. The driver then very kindly removed the mattress so many thanks to the driver for that.

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #34 on: March 31, 2015, 02:37:14 PM »
I applaud your efforts, but I suspect nothing will change in (Memorial Park/Middlewood Way/pavements in general) until a few people get prosecuted. Most dog owners make the effort, but others will simply not bother. Having the council clean up for them will re-enforce their attitude that it's not their responsibility to keep paths and parks clean.

The objective is to get some people prosecuted. Join us, report the poo in Marple!
Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website

marveld

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #33 on: March 31, 2015, 02:20:33 PM »
Very pleased to see that the poo I reported yesterday on the way to school has gone. Could possibly be the heavy rain has washed it away but let's hope it's that the street cleaning team are on the ball, and if so, well done!

Came back from the school run this morning via the Middlewood Way, which is what we usually do with the 3 grandchildren and friends at home time. Here are some delightful images captured between Rose Hill and the turn-off for Woodville Drive, which I shall now report. I reckon I captured about 50% of what's there.

Case Reference is 101861637

I applaud your efforts, but I suspect nothing will change in (Memorial Park/Middlewood Way/pavements in general) until a few people get prosecuted. Most dog owners make the effort, but others will simply not bother. Having the council clean up for them will re-enforce their attitude that it's not their responsibility to keep paths and parks clean.

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #32 on: March 31, 2015, 11:56:35 AM »
Very pleased to see that the poo I reported yesterday on the way to school has gone. Could possibly be the heavy rain has washed it away but let's hope it's that the street cleaning team are on the ball, and if so, well done!

Came back from the school run this morning via the Middlewood Way, which is what we usually do with the 3 grandchildren and friends at home time. Here are some delightful images captured between Rose Hill and the turn-off for Woodville Drive, which I shall now report. I reckon I captured about 50% of what's there.

Case Reference is 101861637

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Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website

Dave

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #31 on: March 30, 2015, 10:21:09 AM »
Even if owners clear up the mess, it usually leaves a bit behind.

An important point from willow.  Dog poo on pavements and in parks and (above all, perhaps) on sports fields, is disgusting, and it's good that this issue is once more being given an airing (as it were!) on this forum.

That said, in these ever-more-fastidious times, we should remember that the Great Outdoors is not 100% hygienic, and never will be (thank goodness).  So we still need to watch our step, be careful when we sit down on the grass, and in particular, train our children to do the same.

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #30 on: March 30, 2015, 09:40:03 AM »
If some dog owners won't pick up the poo  is it likely they will obey a "dog-free park" rule?

Policing this kind of rule is always a problem. A dog free park is a bit draconian but it would be good to have dogs kept on leads until they reach the open fields in the park. This would not only help with dog mess in certain areas but would protect the flowerbeds and shrub beds.

I witnessed a lady let her two dogs off the lead near to Garth Road the other day and they literally smashed their way through the shrub bed that Friends of the Park had replanted the previous weekend - then they came back to the owner at full tilt through the bed again and then back through them a third time. I did speak to the owner about that and and our volunteers regularly have to ask people to keep their dogs off the beds during task days. If they were on the lead until they reached the field this wouldn't be nearly so bad.
Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #29 on: March 30, 2015, 09:30:46 AM »
3 incidents of dog fouling on the way to school this morning. Two on Cross Lane reported to street cleaning, one on Brydges Road not reported as it is a few days old and I will pick it up.

The way the street cleaning form works it's best to report by street name and then describe the location(s) on that street.

The green one is a regular offender on the Cross Lane area so will be interesting to monitor this one.



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Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website

My login is Henrietta

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #28 on: March 30, 2015, 02:45:41 AM »
It's a shame one of the parks in Marple can't be changed to a dog free zone. Even if owners clear up the mess, it usually leaves a bit behind. It would be nice to be able to sit on the grass in the summer and have a picnic.
I know there are a lot of responsible owners that this would penalise against but the parks should be for everyone to enjoy and at the moment none are clean for children to run around and play football on.
If some dog owners won't pick up the poo  is it likely they will obey a "dog-free park" rule?

Bowden Guy

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #27 on: March 29, 2015, 10:27:29 PM »
An interesting article (from 2009) which shows how utterley pathetic this country has become viz-a-viz law and order - and those in our "community" who choose to break the law,  like our wonderful "band of brothers" who excel in robbing our homes and stealing from young girls in the street, late at night.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6712334/Name-and-shame-offenders-but-not-if-it-upsets-family-says-Government.html

willow

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #26 on: March 29, 2015, 07:26:23 PM »
It's a shame one of the parks in Marple can't be changed to a dog free zone. Even if owners clear up the mess, it usually leaves a bit behind. It would be nice to be able to sit on the grass in the summer and have a picnic.
I know there are a lot of responsible owners that this would penalise against but the parks should be for everyone to enjoy and at the moment none are clean for children to run around and play football on.

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #25 on: March 29, 2015, 05:45:47 PM »
I may well be wrong but I'm sure I've heard somewhere that there is CCTV being actively considered for the memorial park

The Friends of the Park have been battling for 18 months to extra get CCTV installed in the park. You can read up on the detail in the monthly minutes on the web site if interested. We have recently succeeded in reaching agreement that a single camera will be installed soon. This will cover the bowling green buildings, some of the bowling green, toilets, some of the infants play area and possibly part of the front of the library. This has been quite an effort to achieve and is a big step down from what we wanted, which was an extra 4 or even 6 cameras. If we'd got those we'd have have had enough coverage to catch dog-foulers on the flowerbeds in the act but, as it is, it would only be in the areas I've just mentioned.
Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website

corium

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #24 on: March 29, 2015, 05:37:54 PM »
I may well be wrong but I'm sure I've heard somewhere that there is CCTV being actively considered for the memorial park

chicken lady

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #23 on: March 29, 2015, 05:31:03 PM »
So it seems that unless you can provide a name and address for the owner of the dog, there's not much they can do. Can they not do some surveillance?
Good old council, what on earth do we pay for?

willow

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2015, 05:29:56 PM »
I've just reported on the street cleansing section. Tomorrow morning I will get exact locations of any mess on my way to school and report again.
Hopefully if everybody starts reporting regularly the council will have to do something about it.

admin

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Re: Dog poo fouled footpaths
« Reply #21 on: March 29, 2015, 05:05:37 PM »
I think you're right Snowball and I've reported those in Memorial Park on Saturday.

I'll continue to do this too and would encourage every one else to do the same.

What I would suggest is that we also report all the details in this thread (with photos where possible), which will build up a single location where everyone can see what's being reported and if anything is being done about it.

I did note when making the report however, that they are primarily looking for intelligence including who the culprit is and it says that this form should only be used where intelligence is known and / or signage is required. We have enough signage in the park already.

They also provides a text alert service (I'm going to put that number in my phone!) Here are the full details:

Please note that this form should only be used where intelligence is known and / or signage is required. Forms received without such information or requests will be passed directly to street cleansing and no action will be taken by the Dog Warden Service.

If intelligence is provided and / or signage is requested, the Dog Warden will respond accordingly within 4 weeks of receipt of the job.

If the address or contact telephone number of a known dog fouling offender can be identified, a warden will attempt to speak to that person within 5 working days to clarify the law regarding dog fouling and provide advice on responsible dog ownership.  All other dog fouling reports will be responded to within 4 weeks.

A text alert system for members of the public to use if and when they witness a dog fouling has also been set up by the Dog Warden Service.

If you witness someone allowing their dog to foul you can text the time, date, location and a brief description of the dog and owner to 07624 805 662.  Appropriate action will then be taken by the service. Text messages to this number cost the standard network rate and no automated reply will be received.

Mark Whittaker
The Marple Website