A wicker rabbit at Glen Park.

Ban warning for lazy dog owners

Dog owners spotted on CCTV not clearing their pets’ poo up will be banned from a Surfleet park, those that run it have said.

The Surfleet Play and Recreation Charity (SPARC) says that an increase in dog owners not picking up poo on Glen Park has led to the measures.

The group installed 12 CCTV cameras in the park three years ago and say they will be monitoring the park live.

Posters were due to go up this week in what the charity called a ‘last ditch’ attempt to educate dog walkers who don’t clean up, calling them “dirty, thoughtless, anti-social and a threat to children’s health”.

“Enough is enough,” said a SPARC spokesman. “It’s filthy and disgusting to see the amount of dog poo left around the park. If it continues, we will have no choice but to ban dogs to make the park again a safe and pleasant place for people to visit.

“Glen Park is a wonderful place where a lot of people bring their families and friends to enjoy.

“A lot of very responsible dog owners also use it and abide by the rules but there’s a growing number who unacceptably leave their dog faeces behind.

“We’ve been open 15 years and we’ve always been happy to welcome dogs to the park, but owners should abide by the rules to ensure the park is safe for all to use.”

The spokesman said that SPARC’s CCTV system allows members of the committee to monitor what’s going on in the park at any time including through mobile phones and laptops.

And some dog walkers have already been challenged when they’ve been spotted not clearing up their pooch’s poo.

“Those we’ve confronted about it are pretty reasonable,” the spokesman said. “They understand the reasons why there are rules and regulations.

“But some are repeat offenders and it doesn’t matter how many times they get caught. With the CCTV we’ll have evidence though.”

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