Environment

Dog owners leave mess at Monifieth pitches

Dog owners who allow their pets to foul a popular area in Monifieth have come under fire.

Professional dog walker Andrea Penny, 31, was told about the mess at the town’s football pitches by a friend and decided to do her bit to help.

She collected 26 bags of dog poo in one visit.

Andrea said: “Someone mentioned to me that there was quite a lot of mess.

“It’s quite a busy area.

“I walk there most days. “People might genuinely not see their dog doing the toilet but I feel there are people who deliberately don’t pick up after their pets.”

Andrea said she was shocked by the amount of mess at the pitches.

She added: “As a dog walker and a mum I don’t think it is great that there is so much fouling.

“Children go there to play at the weekend and they shouldn’t have to be worried about dog poo.”

Andy Mccafferty, who has coached at Monifieth Athletic Football Club for 15 years, said: “I have to pick up dog mess and bits of litter every Saturday morning. It’s particularly disgusting when kids are running about – some of them are only four or five years old.”

Mr Mccafferty said the club had asked Angus Council for a fencedoff area where the children could train which would be closed off to dogs.

He added: “Someone has to pick up dog mess every day before coaching.”

Monifieth Athletic FC is a youth football club based in the town which has teams competing in age groups from under 9s to under 19s.

It also runs a coaching school for young primary-aged children.

A spokesman for Angus Council said: “This area of public open space is there for all to enjoy and, while we acknowledge the problem of dog mess being left by irresponsible owners, we have no immediate plans to limit access.

“We again appeal to owners to clean up after their dogs to ensure the area can be safely used by everyone.”