Colourful bid to tackle a pavement problem - The Malvern Observer

Colourful bid to tackle a pavement problem

Malvern Editorial 20th Feb, 2014 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

DOG MESS is going to be sprayed orange in a part of the town in a bid to encourage owners to clean up after their pets.

Parents in West Malvern have complained to the parish council about their children stepping in the mess on the way to and from school and treading it into their homes.

De Walden Road, Park Road and Ebrington Road have been highlighted as particular problem areas, and some have complained it has been an issue for years.

A Facebook group called ‘Malvern dog owners – Clean it up’ has recently been set up and has already attracted dozens of followers.




Jon Hale, who set up the group said: “Enough is enough, Malvern is becoming littered with dog poo because the owners are failing to take responsibility. The threat of fines is simply not being carried out.”

Residents have been posting reports of dog mess on the page which Mr Hale intends to submit to the district council to force some action on the issue.


West Malvern Parish Council have agreed to trial spraying the mess in a community wood to see if it encourages dog owners to pick it up.

Parish councillor Sarah Rouse said: “We’re doing this to highlight the problem and hopefully embarrass those owners who give the rest of us a bad name.

“These areas are for kids to enjoy, they are community woodland not a community dog toilets.”

Despite other councils in Worcestershire adopting the idea throughout entire districts, Gordon Morris, street scene manager for Malvern Hills District Council, spoke out against the move arguing it could be classed as graffiti.

He urged residents to instead report incidents of dog fouling directly to the council. Mr Morris said throughout Malvern the problem had reduced by 94 per cent due to letters being posted through people’s doors advising them of potential fines as well as the health risks of leaving dog faeces in the street.

Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk to report an incident or call the customer service centre on 01684 862 151.

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