Fulwood residents 'dread' using pavements due to increase in dog fouling

Parents walking their children to school have spoken of their dread of using the pavements in and around Mill Lane, Fulwood.

Preston city council provides a service for people to report cases of dog fouling to aid them in taking action against offenders.

Sharon Trolley, 23, of Dunkirk Avenue said she 'dreads' walking her daughter to school every morning because of the increase in dog fouling.

She said: "It is always bad on Mill Lane and especially the footpath across from Mill Lane park. It seems to happen late at night so it's there on the school run.

"It's awful because there are so many people walking along that stretch of path that it gets trampled in and spread everywhere.

"I have reported it to the council a few times and they send a sweeper out to clean it, but it soon gets replaced.

"I can't believe how bad it is. People know those streets are used by hundreds of school children daily and I've even wondered if it is done deliberately."

Contact with dog excrement can cause toxocariasis - an infection that can lead to dizziness, nausea, asthma and in very rare cases blindness.

According to the Preston city council website, failure to immediately remove dog waste from land that is open to the air and to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access is classed as a criminal offence, with offenders fined up to £1000 and given a criminal record upon conviction.

Katie Elizabeth, another concerned Fulwood parent, recently spent her morning cleaning her shoes after stepping in it whilst walking her young son to school.

In a post she shared to Facebook, more than 100 people commented to raise their concerns.

Comments even referred to the road as 'dog poo alley', with users commenting that it was 'disgusting' and 'getting worse'.

She said: "I see it everywhere if I’m honest, I use these areas for parking when on the school run as it’s difficult to get really close to the school due to it being super busy I see it almost every day.

"I do seem to be noticing it more often and I have noticed an increase in angry citizens in the Fulwood Facebook group posting about dog fouling, also a lot of residents commented on my post saying they feel the same way and that they have had some bad experiences regarding dog fouling in the area."

Councillor Peter Moss, Cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “Dog mess is probably the most unacceptable and offensive type of litter on our streets. It is not only deeply unpleasant, it can be dangerous.

“Studies undertaken in Preston have shown that most dog owners regularly pick up after their dogs, which means that only a small number of pet owners are blighting our communities with this anti-social behaviour.

"However, one dog fouling twice daily can lead to a considerable amount of dog mess within a week. At this time of year when the evenings are darker, this becomes a recurring problem when dog owners think they can’t be seen leaving the mess behind.

“Our small team can’t be everywhere at once, making it difficult for us to identify and deal with offenders. Residents can help by reporting incidents to us via our website."

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