Enforcement team launched to crack down on dog fouling and littering

Jul 21 2010 by Robert Mulvaney, Heswall News

A NEW enforcement team to tackle dog fouling and littering has been launched by Wirral Council.

The team, wearing high visibility uniforms, will travel across Wirral using public transport and bicycles to tackle known hot spots.

Officers have already dealt with fly-tipping and irresponsible dog owners and will also be looking in to incidents of graffiti, criminal damage and abandoned bicycles.

The patrols will focus on problem areas highlighted by members of the public, and can issue a £50 fine for dog fouling and a £70 for littering.

If this is not paid, offenders can be taken to court, fined up to £1,000, and given a criminal record.

Wirral council are hoping that the enforcement team will encourage people to take more pride in their community and show more consideration for the majority of residents who care about their environment.”

Gill Gardiner, Wirral Council Cabinet Member for the Environment said “We can try to educate people and take action against offenders but it is the duty of every dog owner to clean up after their pet.

“There are not excuses, it is unacceptable and it is unfair that the whole community should have to suffer the consequences”.

By law dog excrement must be removed straight away from any land that has public access, whether or not warning signs are displayed.

Chris Blakeley, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said “For some time residents have told us that dog fouling is a particularly important issue to them.

“It not only makes streets, parks and open spaces look unsightly but can also cause serious health problems.

“The main danger is Toxocariasis which is caused by worm eggs being ingested which can still cause infection after lying dormant in the ground for up to 12 months.

Symptoms of toxocariasis can include abdominal pain, coughing, headaches, fever, shortness of breath, and an impairment of loss of vision.

“This highlights the importance”, said Cllr. Blakeley “of making sure we tackle this issue in a robust manner.”

Anyone with information about offenders, or who would like to highlight a problem area can contact Streetscene call centre on 0151 691 8088