Community tackles fouling at the Greenway
A new crackdown on irresponsible dog owners dubbed ‘spraying and shaming’ is being launched at Stratford Greenway later this month.
Warwickshire County Council rangers, has joined forces with the Stratford Greenway Community Group, the dog warden and the café, to embark on a campaign to rid the area of dog mess.
Starting on Tuesday 26 April the rangers, with the help of volunteers, will be spraying dog mess with yellow paint in around the Seven Meadows car park and Carriage Café areas.
The dog warden will be increasing patrols over the spring and summer and anyone caught not clearing up after their dog faces a Fixed Penalty Notice of £75 or prosecution in the magistrates’ court.
Senior ranger Craig Earl said: “Spraying and shaming is a novel way to raise awareness of the problem and clamp down on irresponsible dog owners.
“Periodically the yellow sprayed dog mess will be cleared away and the process will start again. Hopefully we will see fewer and fewer yellow ‘heaps’ as the campaign progresses.”
This idea has been tried in other countryside sites across the country with some success so it has been decided to adopt this approach at the Stratford Greenway.
The Stratford Greenway is a popular recreation route used by thousands of people every year for walking and cycling. It is also a very popular venue for local dog owners who visit to walk their pets. Dog bins are provided on site and these are well used by the majority of conscientious dog owners, but if there are none in the vicinity they are advised to double wrap the waste and deposit it in a normal bin.
A minority of dog owners have been spoiling the Greenway for everyone by not clearing up after their dogs, which has prompted complaints from visitors and the proprietors of the Carriage Café at Seven Meadows Car Park.
Craig Earl added: “Dog walkers are valued visitors to the Greenway and we certainly do not want to tar them all with the same brush. It is only an irresponsible few that cause these problems, but it spoils the area for everyone.
“As a thank you to the majority who do use the dog bins, free poop bags and a doggy treat will be available from the Carriage Café during opening hours.”