Westbury and Warminster town councillors are looking to work together to tackle the issue of dog fouling in the two towns due to what they describe as ‘inadequate resources’ from Wiltshire Council.
Westbury councillor Russell Hawker and Warminster councillor Paul Macdonald are proposing for a joint dog warden service to be set up covering both towns to combat dog fouling.
Cllr Russell Hawker said, “Currently Wiltshire Council employs three dog wardens for the whole of Wiltshire and they are busy dealing with stray, lost, dangerous and noisy dogs. The issue of dog mess is barely dealt with at all.
“Paul approached me and together we propose to employ a dog warden, to cover just Westbury and Warminster, who will deal with dog mess alone. My expectation is that this warden would patrol on ever-changing routes picking up mess and issuing fixed penalty notices for £75 fines whenever the opportunity presents itself.
“I think there is a strong need for this in Westbury. As a councillor I receive many complaints from Westbury residents about dog mess and there is no sign of the problem getting under control.”
Warminster town cllr Paul Macdonald said, “We cannot leave this issue to go on any longer without finding a way to tackle it. I have submitted the idea to Warminster Town Council that we should work with Westbury, where I used to spend a fair amount of time visiting my late parents, and look into setting up a joint dog warden service.”
Councillors Russell Hawker and Paul Macdonald are each submitting a Notice of Resolution to their respective town councils on Monday 23rd June. It says, “This council recognises the problem of dog fouling on pedestrian thoroughfares, busy school routes and popular open spaces in the town. We recognise that while the majority of dog owners are considerate of others, there is a minority that should be condemned for their irresponsible and dangerous inactions in not picking up dog mess laid in public areas.
“Dog faeces is a well known health concern as toxocaeria can involve the transfer of a worm to children, which could lead to blindness. This council accepts that there is a strong public demand that action needs to be taken by local authorities and it notes that Wiltshire Council does not provide the resources to adequately deal with this issue. We further note the successful working relationship that this council has with Warminster Town Council and others in running the CCTV operation.
“This council resolves to work with Warminster Town Council in investigating a joint dog warden service for the two towns through a joint task and finish group made up of three councillors each.”
