Mid Sussex District Council and Burgess Hill Town Council are joining together to reduce dog mess in the town by launching a ‘don’t turn your back on dog fouling’ campaign to help catch irresponsible dog owners.
Both Councils operate a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to dog fouling and are appealing to local residents to help catch those who leave their dog mess behind.
Local residents are being asked to be on the lookout for anybody who fails to pick up after their dog and to report them to the Council, providing as much detail as possible. Dates, times and locations of offences, together with a description of the dog, are a huge help to Mid Sussex District Council’s Park Ranger team, giving them a much better chance of catching irresponsible dog owners in the act.
The vast majority of dog owners in Mid Sussex are responsible, pick up their dogs’ mess and keep them under proper control. However, there is a small minority who don’t and it is often these serial offenders who allow their dogs to spoil public open spaces and pavements for everybody else.
Mid Sussex District Council has the power to issue offenders with a Fixed Penalty Notice for failing to clear up after their dog. Recently, the Council issued £75 fines to dog owners in Bedelands Farm Local Nature Reserve and Nightingale Meadows, Burgess Hill, who failed to pick up after their dogs. As part of the ‘Don’t turn your back on dog fouling’ campaign, the Council would like residents to help with enforcement by providing information about dog fouling in their area.
“Dog fouling is a disgusting practice that ruins our streets, parks and open spaces for other users,” said Councillor Pru Moore, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability. “We need responsible dog owners to be our eyes, letting us know every time they see a lazy, selfish owner allow their dog to foul without picking it up.
“There is a large community of responsible dog owners in Mid Sussex and they are in the perfect position to report dog fouling because they are often out walking in the same areas where dog fouling takes place. If the public can provide us with detailed information then we can target our patrols and we’ll have a much better chance of catching those responsible and issuing a well-deserved fine.
“Please ‘Don’t turn your back on dog fouling’; if we all work together then maybe we can put a stop to this foul practice.”
