Please pick up after your dog

Chelmsford City Council ask residents to stop leaving their dogs’ poo around the city. It urges people to report any dog owners they spot not picking up after their pet and walking away.

This is part of a new dog fouling campaign launched by the council’s community protection team. They aim to make Chelmsford a cleaner and safer place.

What is dog fouling?

Dog fouling is the act of not picking up your dogs’ poo and leaving it in a public space. This can cause an obstruction on public footpaths, create a mess and pose a potential health risk.

Chelmsford City Council’s community protection officers regularly patrol the city and deal with dog fouling offenders head on. However, the team need your help to report anyone who is leaving their dog’s business behind.

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"Dog fouling is unacceptable, and illegal. The City Council provides over 500 dog poo bins throughout the district and parish councils also invest in them, so there really is no excuse for not being able to clean up correctly. Please report anyone you see not picking up after their dog so we can help keep Chelmsford safe and clean together."

Cllr Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for Greener and Safer Chelmsford

How to report dog fouling

As part of the campaign, new signs and banners have been placed in ‘problem areas’ around Chelmsford where the most dog fouling takes place. The signs will have a reflective ‘report now’ strip for those walking in the night – the team hope this will also make dog owners think twice about not clearing up.

Report irresponsible dog owners on the Chelmsford City Council website.

Nicola Tansley is a Community Protection Lead Officer and knows from her job role that dog poo is a key issue that the public want to be addressed.

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"Community Protection Officers are regularly on patrol, and, with the intelligence provided by residents, they can make their patrols more effective and issue £100 fixed penalty notices to offenders.

Dog poo left on our pavements and in our parks means people can tread in it or wheel their buggies or wheelchairs over it. However, it’s not just the mess it causes, it can also cause harmful infections and be a danger to health.

Most dog owners are responsible people who habitually pick up after their dog and dispose of the poo bags correctly, either in the nearest bin or by taking home to dispose of in their own household waste bin. This campaign will hopefully reach out to the minority that don’t."

Nicola Tansley, Community Protection Lead Officer

Green Dog Walkers scheme 

The council will shortly be launching a Green Dog Walkers scheme. The scheme will encourage dog walkers to “pledge” to carry extra dog poo bags so they always have plenty available should another dog owner ask for one. Those that sign up for the scheme will be identifiable through a green arm band, or green collar on their dog. The community protection team will aim to work with schools and local communities to roll this out further. More details to come in due course!