ANGRY parents have joined forces to campaign against the increasing amount of dog mess littering the pavement outside Delaware Primary Academy.

The road to the school in Drakewalls is often blighted with piles of dog excrement, which parent Marie Howe said was ‘disgusting’ and dangerous to the pupils walking to and from school.

Marie said: ‘It is hard getting to and from school because of all the dog mess. There are a few other parents who are angry about it too. We live along the road and we want our children to walk to school but we’re reluctant because of all the dog mess.

‘There are a number of signs saying people will be fined but the other day there was a pile of dog mess right underneath one of the fine stickers and only about ten steps away from a dog bin.

‘Everyday you can see fresh piles of mess. We’ve been looking up how bad dog poo is to children, lots of people know it can make children go blind if they get it in their eyes but if they knew all the other risks it has to children, they may think twice about leaving it.’

Marie said she was so angry that she had to keep stepping around piles of dog excrement that she and several other parents decided to start a campaign. They got their children to make posters and put them up all along the road with the hope of encouraging people to pick up after their dogs and have been lobbying Cornwall Council to do something about the problem.

Marie said it was ‘all very well’ for Cornwall Council to put up signs warning dog owners of fines they may incur if they fail to pick up after their dogs, but there was no-one around to stop or fine anyone.

She said: ‘It is only a dog warden that can issue the fine and you have to pinpoint exactly where the pile is and they will assess the area and try to find out who did it. Everybody is really fed up with it. It’s disgusting and it’s just getting silly now.’

After putting the children’s posters up on lamp posts along the road last week, the very next day a pile was seen right underneath one of the posters.

Fellow parent Susan Elliott said: ‘I have been on the phone to Cornwall Council and they said they would send someone round to clean the street and have given us a reference number to use. That’s all very well but we need someone to issue the fines. I walk to school and I’m also a responsible dog owner and it makes me paranoid to walk my own dog, in case people think it is me. It’s disgusting and we’re trying to push for more people to be fined.’

One day last week a child from the reception class stepped in a pile of dog mess and walked it into the classroom carpet. The caretaker had to clean the carpet twice to get it clean and smell-free.

A spokesperson from Cornwall Council said: ‘Cornwall Council has a zero tolerance approach to dog fouling. General waste bins can be used to dispose of bagged dog waste so there are more than sufficient waste bins for dog owners to deposit the poo.

‘The council’s Dog Welfare and Enforcement Service responds to complaints of dog fouling and will investigate. We also undertake pro-active patrols of known fouling hot spots, involving several officers to encourage dog owners to pick up after their pets.

‘While we only have a limited number of dog welfare and enforcement officers, there are a number of other officers who are able to issue fixed penalties — many of whom are not uniformed officers — as well as most PCSOs. We provide DEFRA approved training to town and parish council employees to enable and authorise them to issue dog fouling fixed penalty notices and around 65 employees have received the training to date.

‘Any town or parish council wishing to receive the training can contact Community Protection Team Support on 01209 616990 for further information.

‘The legislation does not permit councillors themselves to be authorised to issue fixed penalty notices.

‘Members of the public who do not pick up after their dogs face a fine of up to £1,000 or can receive a fixed penalty of £80 in order to discharge the offence. To report dog fouling please call 0300 1234212 or email [email protected]’