Bridgnorth anger after visitors dish the dirt over dog mess

Social media sites have been filled with a debate among residents and visitors about the problem.

Now calls have been made to tackle the issue by targeting anti-social dog owners.

Stephen Robbins, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, said dog mess has been an issue in Bridgnorth for as long as he can remember.

He said: "It is a shame that a small minority of dog owners are failing to pick up after their dogs, particularly when bins have been made available so there is absolutely no excuse for it.

"We are privileged to live in such a beautiful town and great efforts are made to maintain it and make it look attractive, in order to encourage tourism which plays an important part in the local economy."I am aware that there are chamber members who already go litter picking on a regular basis, in order to help keep the town tidy."

Mr Robbins said that Shropshire Council introduced dog control orders back in 2013, making it an offence for a person to fail to clean up after their dog has fouled on land to which the order applies. He also said there were supposed to be dog wardens enforcing this but he does not think he has ever seen one in the town. He added: "We do see plenty of traffic wardens however, perhaps pressure needs to be put on Shropshire Council to send a few more of the former to our town and a few less of the latter."

One woman said her 14-month-old child had fallen in dog mess while out with his child minder in Bridgnorth. Meria Price took to Facebook to air her concerns. She said: "My 14-month-old fell in dog poo on Crown Meadow whilst with his childminder. Those who left it should be ashamed."

Bridgnorth residents are also hitting out at dog owners who are making a mess in the town. Helen Clark said: "As a dog owner myself, I'm utterly gobsmacked that people feel it's acceptable to leave their dogs mess for somebody else to tread in, be it a pavement or playing field."Actually it makes me angry. Dogs are creatures of habit and I reckon it's the same offender on Victoria Road. God help them if I catch them."

Some residents have said they now walk down different streets to avoid the mess they know will be blocking their path.

Sophie Daniels said: "It gives all dog owners a bad name. I had to dodge four or five separate piles every day down Victoria Road, I now walk down Innage Lane every morning and I am much less annoyed."

One woman spoke of how she handled a situation as she witnessed a woman leave dog mess on the floor.

Kaz Glastonbury said: "I saw a woman with this tiny dog stop and let it do a poo in the middle of the High Street pavement. She was just walking off when I said to her that her dog had done a poo.

"She said "I don't have a bag", it was lucky that I did.

"I handed her the bag. I don't think she liked me very much."

John Palmer, spokesman for Shropshire Council, said: "The council gets very few reports of dog fouling in Bridgnorth – and regular inspections carried out by council officers don't indicate a significant problem in the area.

"But, if people report problem areas the council will then be able to organise patrols to speak to members of the public, and to issue a warning or a fine to anyone they see committing an offence."

Kate Adams, Shropshire Council's streetscene manager, said:

"Patrols won't always be visible, but we are out there and we take the issue of dog fouling very seriously.

"We have several officers in the Bridgnorth area who are able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) to people who don't clear up after their dogs. These officers include Civil Enforcement Officers (traffic wardens), to the dog warden to 'plain clothed' Shropshire Council officers.

Mal Price, Cabinet member responsible for public protection, said:

"I want to say to people: don't blame the council for dog mess, help us catch those responsible for it.

"People tell us that dog fouling is a big issue in many areas across the county, and we're doing all we can to address the problem.

"We know that the vast majority of dog owners are responsible people, who pick up after their dog and dispose of poo bags correctly. But there are a small number of irresponsible dog owners that don't clear up after their dogs. We will take action against such people, but we need people to help us by reporting streets where dog fouling is a problem."

Last December Shropshire Council launched a campaign aimed at dog walkers who don't 'scoop the poop'.

Run in conjunction with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the 'We're Watching You' campaign aims to reduce dog fouling in key problem areas throughout Shropshire.

To report a dog fouling problem visit the Shropshire Council website, or call 0345 678 9006.