A Plaid Cymru AM has warned somebody could be seriously injured due to persistent dog fouling on a football pitch.
Chris Franks AM said it was unacceptable that Dinas Powys, who play in Division One of the Welsh football league, recently had to stop one of their games three times to clear the pitch of dog mess.
The Welsh football league has since warned the club they could face disciplinary action should dog mess be found during a game again.
The clubs runs 31 teams which includes a thriving youth section. Two senior teams and an under 19 team play at The Murchfield pitch where dog fouling is persistent. A public notice has been erected near the pitch warning owners that they could be fined up to £1,000 if they fail to clean up after their pets.
David Jose, the vice chairman and secretary at the club, said despite this deterrent dog mess has to be removed from the pitch before every game. He said: “If (the penalty) is not enforced and dog owners know nobody will enforce it, it is not a lot of use.”
South Wales Central AM Chris Franks, who lives in Dinas Powys, said apart from being anti-social, dog fouling can cause blindness through the disease toxocariasis.
Chris Franks AM said: “It is only a small minority of dog owners that are responsible for this problem and I would urge them to clean up after their pets.
“It is not acceptable to allow your dogs to foul in a public place without picking up afterwards and to allow them to foul on a football pitch is extremely irresponsible.
“If the dog has not been wormed recently, their faeces can cause infection in an open cut or if it gets into the eye. There are stiff penalties for dog owners for this type of behaviour and I would like to see the Vale of Glamorgan council being more proactive in monitoring the area which I know is very popular.
“From what I gather, the council wardens are seldom seen at the football pitch, if at all, and that is wrong considering the risks to health associated with dog mess.”
