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Filthy dog owners should be named and shamed – council
Jan 26, 2012
THE chairman of Middleton-in-Teesdale parish council is urging residents to make a stand against the “filthy” individuals who are ruining their beautiful village.
John Cronin wants Middleton residents to name and shame dog owners who let their animals foul the streets.
His plea comes as people living in communities across Teesdale say they are sick of dog fouling.
In a letter to the Mercury, Mr Cronin said: “I am writing to urge the residents of Middleton-in-Teesdale to unite and make a stand against the increasing number of filthy anti-social individuals who are putting up two fingers to our whole community by failing to clear up the mess left by their pets. The streets of our beautiful village have become a minefield which has to be negotiated with great care in order to avoid the piles left by these people, who clearly believe that they are above the law and who do not give a damn about their neighbours.”
He said the problem had the potential to cause serious illness to children.
Mr Cronin said: “If we are to stop irresponsible dog owners polluting our streets and footpaths we need to name and shame the perpetrators and secure some prosecutions.
“We cannot rely on the County Durham wardens to do this, as there are only two of them to cover the whole of Teesdale – we need responsible residents to report incidents of dog fouling which they can do anonymously via members of the parish council.”
He said irresponsible dog owners deserved to be caught and punished for their crime and villagers could help do this by reporting them.
Evenwood Parish Council is also calling for a crackdown in dog fouling and people living in High Etherley say their community is also being blighted by the issue.
“During the past six months, however, residents are becoming aware of an ever increasing problem of dog excrement everywhere,” said one resident.