Angry resident flags up dog mess problem

Locals contacted Chad to complain about a build-up of dog mess on the footpath which runs between Windsor Road and Southwell Road West at its junction with Maltby Road.

And when Chad went to visit the scene yesterday, part of the Timberland Trail, we found mounds of discarded dog mess in the long grass at the side of the footpath.

Other dog owners had picked up their pooches’ parcels, but then thrown the bags through an iron fence onto neighbouring waste ground, with more than thirty bags were strewn over the floor.

Resident Julie Jones (42) of Melrose Avenue got so fed-up of running the gauntlet when taking her dog for its daily walk that she organised her own protest - sticking flags on every pile she stumbled across, with messages urging those responsible to ‘bag it and bin it’.

She said: “It’s clearly the work of two or three dogs, without going into too much detail, and it’s all over the place - there’s just piles of it everywhere and it’s not being done by a small dog. It’s a real health issue - my poodle Nelly has got quite hairy feet and it’s an absolute nightmare trying to clean it off if she steps in some.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, added: “It’s really disgusting, and it’s dangerous for the children.”

Under current legislation, dog owners who do not clean up after their pets can receive a £75 fixed-penalty or a £1,000 court fine

Nottinghamshire County Council is responsible for the footpath, while Mansfield District Council have responsibility for dog fouling. Coun Mick Barton from the district council said: “It is totally unacceptable that dog owners refuse to clean up after their dogs when walking in public.”