Sutton Poyntz villagers call for action over dog mess (From Dorset Echo)

Sutton Poyntz villagers call for action over dog mess

11:00am Wednesday 27th January 2010 in

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VILLAGERS are calling for action against dog owners who don’t clear up after their pets.

Residents of Sutton Poyntz say they are fed up with the amount of dog mess that is being thrown into fields around the village.

A dog warden has branded the fouling in the field off Winslow Road as ‘the worst he has ever seen’.

Weymouth and Portland dog warden Ian Lewis went to inspect the area and put up signs after complaints from Jane Gear, who is currently using the land to keep her horses.

The owners, Louise and Paul Rookes, said they were not aware of the state of the field until she informed them.

Mr Rookes, 54, said: “We had terrible problems with dog fouling on the field when people used to take their dogs up there.

“I had no choice but to fence it off because the dog mess meant we couldn’t use our hay.

“Once I had a fence put up we thought it was the end of it.

“But when Jane asked to borrow the field she told us about all the dog mess up there. It’s disgusting.

Mrs Gear, who uses the field, said: “This is just disgraceful behaviour. People don’t realise that the field is my horses’ dinner plate.

“Besides that, this is an area of outstanding natural beauty and that’s how people treat it.

“It’s just criminal and it has got to be stopped.”

Mr Lewis said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the state of the field.

He said: “Normally we get a complaint and it’s just one pile, but this is just unbelievable. It is probably the worst I have ever seen.

“These dog owners are not being responsible and it is obviously the residents of Sutton Poyntz because no-one else uses the field.”

Penalty notices are now in place to warn dog owners of the fines they can receive if they don’t pick up dog mess or keep their dog on a lead.