Denbighshire County Council is re-launching its campaign to tackle dog fouling in the county.
Over the past year, the Council has been running a high profile campaign to warn people of the dangers of dog fouling and to encourage more people to report hot spots and provide information on those individuals who continue to act anti-socially by allowing their dogs to foul in public.
The campaign involved banners being placed in hot spots areas, lamp-post advertising, publicity in the media and messages being distributed on social media.
During 2013/14 the number of complaints received was 586. There were 255 complaints in 2010/11, 325 in 11/12 and 424 in 12/13.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Public Realm, said: “We are attributing the rise in the number of complaints down to the fact that people are more aware of the dangers of dog fouling and how people can report problems.
“We’ve had a positive response to our campaign to date. We have done a lot of work around educating people through a poster campaign and through sending out some strong messages through the media about the steps the Council will take against the individuals who continue flout the law. However, there is only so much the Council can do to catch those responsible and we are reliant on information from the public. By working together, we can all make a difference.
Emlyn Jones, Denbighshire’s Public Protection Manager, said: “Residents in Denbighshire have told us that dog fouling is one of the biggest issues that worry them and we have been contacted by concerned members of the public who want to work with us to tackle the problem.
“The problem is no worse here in Denbighshire than any other area, but we want to be proactive in our approach through making people aware of the dangers posed to health, as well as effects on local communities.
“We hope that the minority of people who allow their dogs to foul in public change their behaviour and make Denbighshire a cleaner and safer place to live”.
