Spraying dog poo bright pink – just one of the measures adopted by council chiefs today in bid to curb vile problem

[icon name=”bullseye” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Council agrees new measures to combat dog fouling in the county.

Spraying dog poo bright pink in an effort to shame dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets is just one of a host of measures council chiefs are looking to implement following approval at a meeting today.

Dog poo sprayed with temporary pink paint highlights the vile mess left behind by irresponsible and lazy owners in known ‘hotspots’ and has proven to be an effective way of raising awareness with members of the public.

It also ‘notifies’ owners that a dog fouling problem has been identified in the area and council dog poo wardens are watching for offenders.

Flintshire’s worst fouled pathways could also see temporary ‘No Dog Fouling’ symbols painted on as ‘visual aids’ to remind dog walkers of their responsibility to pick up after their dog.

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet approved plans to introduce more stringent dog control orders on public open spaces today.

Recommendations from a ‘Task and Finish Group’  brought together in 2016 to look at the schemes aimed at tackling dog fouling both in the UK abroad, are set to be implemented following the approval today by a Flintshire County Council Cabinet Committee.

One idea the group looked at, the introduction of a dog DNA database, has been put on the ‘back burner’ for the time being however, group member Cllr Veronica Gay said:

The Dog DNA should still continue to be researched as an option, Gibraltar and Isle of Man are to be monitored as they have taken positive stance to eradicate this unacceptable practice – if we don’t see major improvements in our streets we need to revisit the DNA option.

Councillors poo-poo dog DNA pilot scheme for Flintshire

The report recommends replacing the current Dog Control Order with new Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO ) which would cover all open space in the County.

The existing Dog Control Order only covers the need for dog owners to remove their dog’s faeces from public areas.

The new PSPO, will give the Council more powers to enforce other designated offences, such as the complete exclusion of dogs or a requirement to keep dogs on leads on certain classifications of open space.

Flintshire County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Bernie Attridge, said:

“This is a really positive move towards dealing with dog fouling as well as tackling other issues, such as dogs running loose on children’s play areas, marked sports pitches or other formal recreation areas. Whilst we recognise the importance of exercising our pets, we need to strike a balance to ensure that other users of our open spaces can also do so safely.”

Under the new proposals, dog walkers could be forced to show ‘poo bags’ when stopped by an enforcement officer, a dog walker who cannot produce a bag would be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, if a ticket is handed out the member of the public will be offered roll of ‘poo bags’ to collect their dogs waste if needed.

Flintshire will also introduce bodycam wearing  ‘plain clothes’ enforcement officers who will patrol areas ‘assessing dog walkers habits and identifying regular offenders.’