Shocking photo’s show Deeside parks overrun with dog poo as owners refuse to clean up after pets

Shocking photographs show the true extent of dog fouling in two Deeside parks as selfish owners refuse to pick up after their pets.

Children from two local schools joined forces with Flintshire Council last month to help raise awareness around dog mess in Connah’s Quay parks.

In cooperation with Keep Wales Tidy, and to reflect their ‘Bin it, bag it campaign’, students from Ysgol Bryn Deva and Golftyn School took part in a trial event to encourage dog owners to pick up after their pooches.

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As part of the event, small pink flags were placed next to patches where dog mess was found in Golftyn Park and Central Park where hundreds of dog fouling sites were found.

Incredibly dozens of dog fouling spots were found right next to council supplied poo bins.

The survey found an alarming 107 pieces of dog waste in just 30 per cent of Golftyn Park, and 147 pieces in a single grassed area of Central Park.

The problem of dog fouling is a constant source of frustration for those who use local green spaces.

Despite the presence of signs and bins in these areas, dog owners clearly fail to clean up after their pets leaving it unsafe for children “to run free in their parks.” Keep Flintshire Tidy has said.

A Keep Flintshire Tidy spokesperson said in a post on social media: “This is the scale of the dog fouling at two popular parks in Deeside.”

“The pictures show sample areas surveyed in December 2022 during ‘Bag it, bin it’ campaign.”

“The amount of dog fouling found within the sample area of Golftyn Park was 107 in 30% of the park and 147 pieces were found in one grassed area of Central Park, adjacent to the schoolyard.”

“Both areas have a number of signs and bins around them.”

“Some people decide not to pick up after their dogs even right next to the bin.”

“There is no excuse‼️ Children are not safe to run free in their parks.”

“This needs to change.”

Following last months survey, Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Transportation, Councillor Dave Hughes, said: ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Dog fouling continues to be a problem in Flintshire.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Although many of our dog owners do pick up after their dogs, we are appealing to the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to keep public areas and pavements free from dog mess.” ‌

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Jemma Bere, Keep Wales Tidy Policy and Research Manager said: ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Although an estimated nine out of ten dog owners pick up after their pets, dog poo remains a persistent issue in communities across the country.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Dog poo can pose a risk to human health but also to a number of other animals too.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​