Council steps up fight against dog fouling

IT’S A ‘foul’ problem that never seems to go away, and now the local Council has announced it’s stepping up its fight against littering and irresponsible dog owners who fail to clean up after their pooches.

Unfortunately, due to the (relatively) drier weather at this time of year, the problem of dog fouling and littering in general is all the more noticeable in the summer, just when tourists are flocking to Fermanagh.

On Monday this week, the Council announced it had employed the expertise of an enforcement specialist service to increase the number of litter and dog patrols in the area.

A spokesman said the local authority had partnered with Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE), and the Council had granted the WISE officers powers to issue £80 Fixed Penalty Notices to anyone who drops litter in the street or who fails to clean up after their dog.

Chairman Cllr Barry McElduff said “our beautiful towns, villages and countryside” were “being blighted by litter and dog fouling,” and said the Council had “invested considerable resources over many years to educate and raise awareness” about the environmental impact of such behaviour.

“There is now a real need to address the minority of people who still believe it is acceptable to drop rubbish or not tidy up after their dogs fouling our streets and open spaces,” he said, calling on the community to play its part in helping stop such antisocial behaviour.

“The substantial amounts of money being spent on street cleaning could be better invested in local communities.”

Cllr McElduff said cleaning up our public spaces was a priority for the Council, which he said was committed to the ‘Leave No Trace’ principals, which include disposing of waste properly.

“This service will hopefully encourage everyone to play their part in achieving this,” he said.

“There has to be a realistic deterrent and, as a Council, we believe issuing Fixed Penalty Notices will have an impact. It will send a strong message to the minority of people carrying out these anti-social actions.

“The majority of people will have nothing to worry about, of course, because they will continue to respect our environment and will continue to act responsibly as they always have.”

Managing director of WISE, John Dunne, said his patrol teams would be focusing on identifying local hotspots where there have been complaints and feedback from the local public.

“Our aim is to reduce the level of littering and dog fouling for the long term, and to help ensure these popular areas are pleasant spaces for everyone to use and enjoy,” he said.