Cheshire East Council community wardens are urging dog owners to clean up after their dogs and help keep a popular Wilmslow park clean this summer.
A campaign at The Carrs is being launched next week, starting on Wednesday July 6th, when the wardens will hold a series of planned events.
On Wednesday, July 6th they will be raising awareness about dog-related issues, on Thursday high-visibility enforcement patrols will be carried out then on Friday, July 8th, there will be non-uniform enforcement patrols.
During the first day of the campaign, wardens will hand out free 'poop scoop' bags and urge all dog owners to be responsible. During the next two days and for the rest of the summer, they will hand out polite enforcement to anybody failing to remove their dog's waste responsibly.
Every year, thousands of complaints are received by local authorities about dog mess littering parks, pavements and public spaces.
It is estimated that dog fouling costs councils £22m a year to clean up and it remains the country's most complained about issue, according to local authorities and MPs.
Councillor Leslie Smetham, Cabinet support member for sustainable communities, said: "Cheshire East Council believes every dog owner has a responsibility to clean up after their pet.
"This campaign aims to raise awareness of this issue and encourage the minority of irresponsible dog owners to do their duty and make public spaces cleaner and more pleasant for everyone.
"Dog waste is not only extremely unpleasant and unwelcome, it is also the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and other forms of infection, which can lead to serious illnesses."
Councillor Peter Hayes, Cabinet member with responsibility for health and wellbeing, said: "I fully support this campaign which will raise awareness of the need for dog-owners to act responsibly. This campaign is aimed at ensuring that our public spaces are both cleaner and safer."
Failure to clean up after your dog is an offence and could result in a fixed penalty notice of £50. Failure to pay the fine can result in the owner being prosecuted and receiving a fine of up to £1,000.
Don Stockton, Councillor for the Wilmslow Lacey Green Ward, said: "I applaud this initiative and hope it will encourage dog owners to be more responsible and considerate so we can all enjoy our local amenities."
