Rise in dog messes prompts use of 'stencilling' tactic in Stratford district - The Stratford Observer

Rise in dog messes prompts use of 'stencilling' tactic in Stratford district

Stratford Editorial 19th Jan, 2021   0

ROCKETING complaints over dog mess have led to an increased use of a ‘stencilling’ tactic to remind owners to clean up.

Stratford District Council says it has seen a rise in complaints relating to dog fouling across the district during lockdown.

To combat this, the district council’s dog warden has been stencilling on the pavement around problem areas – with messages including ‘pick it up’ and ‘bin the bag’.

The idea is to embarrass the offenders and indicate someone may be watching, resulting in reduced dog mess in these areas.




District councillor Anne Parry said: “We have been stencilling the pavement in problem fouling areas for a couple of years using stencils saying “Pick it up” and “Bin the bag”. The paint is temporary and will eventually be washed away. The aim is that drawing attention to the fouling will hopefully make perpetrators aware that they may be being watched and that their dog fouling is having an impact.

“The scheme has been successful in a number of problem areas across the district and whilst there is not the resource to do this for every hotspot, we do target particular areas when complaints arise, and there is a paved public surface for us to spray.


“Unfortunately, the size of our district means that we can’t be everywhere all of the time, and it’s likely that a number of dog owners are using the cover of darkness to leave their dogs mess on pavements.

“We have now issued a new Public Spaces Protection Dog Fouling Order 2020 and the increased fixed penalty notice of £100 for this offence. Moreover, it’s obviously very unpleasant to step in dog mess and it can be a vector for many unpleasant diseases. Even one dog fouling in an area over a period of time has a significant impact and we would urge people to be responsible dog owners and bag it and bin it.”

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