OUTRAGED residents in Okehampton are ‘disgusted’ by the growing amount of dog mess left behind by ‘lazy’ dog owners in areas across the town.

Despite the potential fine of up to £1,000 for dog owners caught not picking up after their pets, dog faeces has been found in certain areas of the town almost daily.

Okehampton resident Dave Gillett expressed concerns about the amount of dog mess that is not being picked up by ‘lazy’ and ‘irresponsible’ dog owners.

He said: ‘There has been dog mess left on the roundabout between Lidl and Waitrose, by the hospital and there is always plenty left on North Street. It is absolutely disgusting and I am sick to death of it!’

Mirela Elena, another dog owner from Okehampton, said: ‘Some of the really messy areas are the east Okement river under the viaduct of the A30, there is often muck left on North Road and the forest walking paths are also a mess.

‘We are local responsible dog walkers that love our environment and we would like to bring it to other dog owners’ attention that we are seeing more and more dog mess everywhere.

‘Recently, we stood over ten bags of dog mess! I’m perplexed that this particular dog owner or group of dog walkers just dropped it everywhere but had to pass a council provided dog bin before they did so. We have children that could fall over and we could stand in it, it is disgusting and it is also embarrassing for tourism of the town.

‘The other point is that I see signs everywhere posted by the council, but never see anyone enforcing spot fines on people just letting there dogs poo where they like.’

Town Mayor Cllr Jan Goffey said: ‘If you want to have a dog, be prepared to clear up after it. If you don’t like to clear up dog poo — don’t keep a dog! Simple.

‘The town council pays West Devon Borough Council to empty the dog bins and some are emptied several times a week. But, we would rather pay that cost than have foul, smelly dog mess all over the streets. It is not only horrible to clean off shoes and pushchair wheels etc, it does sometimes carry a very nasty disease that causes blindness. To all dog owners, please carry a plastic bag or two when you take your dog out and put the dog poo in either a dog bin or any waste bin that is not for recycling!’

A West Devon Borough Council spokesperson said that dog waste bins and fouling hotspots are regularly monitored and that West Devon Borough Council provide a comprehensive service for dog fouling and litter offences through the locality officers and environmental protection team.

West Devon police sergeant Dave Anning said: ‘Dog mess is a persistent problem in some parts of Okehampton. Most people are aware that dog mess can cause serious health problems, especially for children. The vast majority of people are responsible and pick up their dog mess using proper plastic bags and dispose of it in a rubbish bin or dog bin. Unfortunately, there are those who are too lazy. It’s bad enough that some people simply don’t pick it up, but others go through the motions — presumably to look as though they are being responsible — then throw the bagged up dog mess down elsewhere, where it lasts for a long time.

‘While prosecutions are rare, a little bit of local research suggests that actually the offenders are often known. Other dog walkers feel uncomfortable about reporting them for some reason.

‘We are appealing to those who do the right thing — tell the police or the WDBC dog warden who these people are. Whether a ticket is issued or not, a visit to let people know they have been named can be enough to persuade them to stop. The few are giving the many a bad name, so help us to address the problem.’

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