War on dirty dogs in Spilsby

Spilsby Town Council is calling for action against irresponsible dog owners who do not dispose of poo bags correctly. ANL-190502-072600001

Bonny Smith, clerk to Spilsby Town Council, said the problem is reaching ‘epidemic proportions’.

“We’ve even had someone in the playing field hanging a bag of poo on the fence - just a yard away from the bin,” she said.

“The problem with irresponsible dog owners is all over town - all they have to do is bag it up and if there isn’t a bin nearby carry a another bag with you to take it home and dispose of it there.”

Mrs Smith says she has reported the matter to East Lindsey District Council’s dog warden and asked the authority to replace a waste bin removed from the A16. She has also asked for assurances that bins which are being removed from the town due to their condition are replaced.

“We’ve also asked about having ‘No Dog Fouling’ stencils on the pavements again - that seemed to help last year,” she added

In the meantime the council has relaunched its ‘There’s No Such Thing as the Poo Fairy’ campaign on Facebook, originally started by Keep Britain Tidy.

Mark Gilbert said: “I walk our little dog every morning down Halton Road and come across lots of dog mess.” And Eileen Dowman commented: “We have two dogs and we always pick up their poop. Why can’t other people do the same?”

The problem comes as East Lindsey launches its ‘We Are Dog Friendly’ sticker campaign for businesses, encouraging more places to welcome dogs and their owners.

Principal Enforcement Officer at East Lindsey District Council, Jo Parker, said; “Up until January 25, we were unaware of any issues of this nature within Spilsby until the Town Council contacted us. We have since liaised with Spilsby Town Council and offered advice on what information is required to enable us to investigate and issue Fixed Penalty Notices where people witness the incident.”

If anybody witnesses dog fouling, this can be reported on 01507 601111 or online at https://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/dogfouling.

The information required, is the date, time, location, name and address of dog owner if known, breed and colour of dog, If a vehicle is involved the registration number, make, model and colour.