‘PICK IT UP AND PUT IT IN THE BIN’
Dog owners under fire over ‘discarded’ waste
COMMUNITY leaders and dog walkers have hit out at people who are refusing to use bins to get rid of their pet waste.
Dog walkers say full black bags have started to pile up on a path in the last month and want those responsible to use a normal bin.
The path is behind Smallthorne Primary School and links Pegroy Grove with Chetwynd Street.
Karl Noble lives nearby and walks his dog Phoenix along the path.
The 46-year-old said: “I don’t understand why someone would pick up their dog’s poo and then just throw it aside. It’s been going on for about a month. You can’t miss them, there have got to be about 30 bags there.
“I just don’t see the point in it. If you left the poo on the ground then at least it would eventually decompose, but the bags remain. There’s a litter bin literally just around the corner from here.”
Ward councillor Candi Chetwynd, pictured, has been receiving complaints about the path.
She said: “It appears that I will have to be funding yet another bin out of my ward budget. It stinks!
“The council does not install dog mess bins anymore and has cut the service. All dog mess is to go in regular bins and I am told that I have to fund any additional or replacement bins in my ward from my ward budget. This is outrageous because some of the bins are older than me and literally falling apart.”
Stoke-on-trent City Council is urging dog owners to act responsibly. A council spokesman said: “It is the responsibility of dog owners to clear up dog mess, it is unfair to expect the council to clear up after dogs have fouled pavements and greenways. There are a number of rubbish bins in the area and bagged dog mess can also be put in grey bins at home. Take a bag, pick it up, put it in your bin. Just take responsibility and be fair to all pedestrians.“