Clear warning to dog owners after dog fouling causes problems around South Shields primary school

Councillor David Francis, who represents the Beacon and Bents ward for the Green Party, launched an anti-dog fouling project after residents raised concerns of the amount of dog mess in the area, particularly around Hadrian Primary School.

As part of the project, messages reminding residents to ‘clean it up’ have been chalk-sprayed onto pavements to reinforce other messages and reminders in the area.

The idea for the chalk messages came about after Cllr Francis researched what methods to encourage picking up of dog mess had worked well in other parts of the country.

Cllr David Francis said: “It took a while to get the plan implemented but I’m really pleased to see those stencil marks have now been put in place around the area, particularly around Hadrian’s Primary School, which has been the main source of complaints.

“I’ve had a really positive response to the plan and residents have been in touch to express their happiness that something is being done. There’s not one solution to this but there’s certainly things we can do to try and make a difference and hopefully this is one of them.”

Cllr Francis and South Tyneside Council will be closely monitoring the effectiveness of the chalk messages and are hoping for a positive reaction for local dog owners.

He added: “It’s vital to keep our streets clean and have an area we can be proud of. Especially around our primary schools.”

Dog fouling is a big concern, not just because of the mess it causes, but because it can also be a health risk.

South Tyneside Council say they are committed to raising awareness about the issue of dog fouling and will respond reactively and pro-actively to reported incidents.

Other methods to combat the issue include installing more dog waste bins, utilising council and private CCTV material and training officers on the street to issue fixed penalty notices.

Falling foul of the rules could land offenders with fixed penalty notices of up to £100.

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling South Tyneside’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Gazette’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.