Appeal: ‘Dog mess on Leighton Buzzard path is a disgrace’

The 74-year-old resident of Church Street says she is fed up of excrement lying on a public footpath that runs from Digby Road to the back of the town’s multi-storey car park.

She claimed: “The dog mess is absolutely appalling. It’s a public footpath, which children walk along to go to school.

“It’s a very well used footpath and the dog mess is absolutely appalling.

“There’s a dog bin and a ‘please clean up after your dog’ sign. Or people could put it in their own dustbins.

“I think it’s an absolute disgrace - their dogs should be taken away from them and given to someone else. I have been a dog owner all my life and just find it appalling.

“I suppose the mess has increased because dogs are in fashion; there’s been a huge rise in dog ownership.”

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokeswoman added: “Dog mess is one of the most unacceptable and unpleasant types of litter on our streets.

“While most dog owners are responsible individuals, there are still some people who do not clean up after their pets.

“It is an offence to allow a dog to foul in a public place and not clear it up immediately. Not only is dog mess unpleasant, but it can also carry dangerous germs.

“Ideally, you should bag it and put it in a dedicated dog-fouling bin, but any public bin will do.

“Anyone who fails to clear up after their dog can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80 (reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days), but the fine can be up to £1,000 if the case goes to court.”

Residents can report specific areas where there is a high incidence of dog-fouling, or details or descriptions of people known to allow their dogs to foul in the area, to the council and a dog warden will investigate.

To make a report, contact 0300 300 8302 or [email protected].