REVIEW AS DOG DIES IN CATTLE GRID INCIDENT
ALTERNATIVES to a cattle grid in which a dog broke its neck and died are to be trialled in a popular walking area. Jo Waters was left “heartbroken” when her seven-year-old schnoodle – a schnauzer and poodle cross – Eva died after getting trapped in a cattle grid that had been installed three days earlier.
Monmouthshire County Council has since closed off the grid at Castle Meadows, a large public open area beside the river Usk, between Abergavenny and Llanfoist, where cattle also graze.
Following the accident, more than 1,200 people signed a petition calling for the cattle grid to be removed.
The council has said it will be considering alternatives to the traditional cattle grid and similar gates and barriers in use across the county as a result of the incident on April 28.
Llanfoist resident Ms Waters had stopped at Castle Meadows, an area she regularly exercises her dogs, where she saw the cattle grid.
She said she was distracted, having stopped to talk to someone, when Eva ran across the grid. Her other dog, Eva’s brother Jimmy, was also slightly injured.
Speaking after the incident, Ms Waters said: “Local people warned that they weren’t safe and now I’ve lost my dear little dog which is heartbreaking. I want to make sure that nobody else has to suffer what I suffered.
“A lot of people said there’s going to be an accident, that dogs are going to break their legs. It’s a place where people take their dogs, it’s sort of a safe place for people to let their dogs off the lead... It’s not really a suitable place for one of these.”
She added: “I actually went over it because there was a QR code next to the grid that you could pick up to send your comments in. And this is what’s so ironic and heartbreaking.
“But I stopped to talk to somebody. And my little dog went running in so full of excitement that she ran over the grid. She got caught, and she broke her neck.”
As a result of the incident, the council withdrew a planning application for a range of paths to improve walking and cycling routes through Castle Meadows, which also included further cattle grids, so it could review them.
A council spokeswoman said the dog’s death is the only incident that has been reported.
She said the council and its consultants on the walking and cycling improvements are reviewing the design.
She added: “The cattle grid has been closed off during a review period. The evaluation will see the project team and principal consultants, WSP, review the installation design, the data and use of such access points around the country. Alternative designs and configurations will be reviewed for trial on the Meadows to find a solution for all users.”
The spokeswoman said it will then announce what design it will trial.
“Upon completion of the review, we will publicly communicate the decision on which access point style will be trialled next,” she said.
Abergavenny resident Jo Webb, who started the petition to remove the grid, said she welcomed the review. “My understanding is that the proposals are being further researched, so hopefully good sense will prevail.”