School’s plea to irresponsible dog owners to pick up mess

Pupils and their families have regularly faced the on-going problem of dog fouling around the school, causing not just mess but also significant health risks.

Local County Councillor Viv Stoddart has been working with the school and Council environmental officers on ways to mitigate the problem, including tasking Enviro-Crime teams to focus on the area.

“Gelliswick School is keen to tackle dog fouling around the school so I asked for a focus from the Enviro-Crime team. We also have an extremely dedicated maintenance staff member who walks and cleans the paths and Gelliswick road in all weathers every weekday morning, who we sincerely thank, as well as undertaking regular cleaning of the paths, which are well used by pupils and their families.

“We are pleased there has been some improvement but it is disappointing that there are still some dog owners refusing to be responsible and continuing to spoil the area for other residents.”

Warren Hodgeson, of WISE, said that there has been an enforcement officer patrolling near the school at peak times two days a week since January, resulting in three Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) being issued for dog fouling in the area.

There have also been 16 FPNs issued in the wider Gelliswick area for littering offences this year.

“There’s still some dog mess on the streets and it’s very likely the same dog owners who are responsible. We are still allocating resources to the area to ensure positive change is still happening,” added Mr Hodgeson.

Headteacher Nick Dyer said: “The children are very concerned about this issue, and the School Council have raised it with the Governing body.  Every pavement, footpath and grass verge around the school has been a potential hazard. 

“Our learners know that dog poo in the wrong places can bring disease, and they know that this means they are not as safe as they should be. 

“But the children give a big thank you to all the responsible dog owners, and the school is also very grateful that so many at the Council are taking this so seriously.  We just need the remaining few dog owners to take it just as seriously.”

Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said: “Dog mess is unfortunately still an issue in Pembrokeshire, as it is across the UK, and we are keen to ensure there is a pro-active focus on tackling what is quite frankly a disgusting blight on many of our streets.

“As an Authority we urge people to respect our environment and community. 

“Pembrokeshire County Council is tackling dog fouling as part of our Enviro-Crime work and there are WISE officers out daily to monitor this issue as well as other littering offences with the potential for FPNs to be issue.”

Caption: Headteacher Nick Dyer with Cabinet Member Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cllr Viv Stoddart and members of the School Council Poppy, Mali, Carley, Matthew and Anaya.