Tackling dog mess in Battle - another day of action

Tomorrow the Dog Wardens and the Streetcare team will be holding another day of action in regard to dog mess, this time in and around Kensington Park.  A couple of week ago they were in the East of Battle ward, around George Street. 

I called for action in March after being contacted by residents (you can see the press article here) and asked the lead councillor, Paul Gittings, for further activity in Battle. 

As a resident I am fully aware how disgusting the streets can be when careless dog owners fail to clean-up after their dogs.  Only the other day I had to clean dog mess from my sons pushchair wheels.  There is no need for this to happen.  You take a dog out, chances are it will go to the toilet - CLEAN IT UP!

I was asked if there was a poster residents can print and put up and here it is:

Reading Continues Campaign to Target Dog Mess

Press Release

14/05/2013

ANTI-SOCIAL dog owners are being targeted in a new campaign by Reading Borough Council in a bid to encourage them to clear up after their pets.

Dog Wardens and the Streetcare Environment Team will be taking part in six events around the borough over the next five months to explain to dog owners the importance of clearing up after their animals.

During a major ‘We Need to Talk’ consultation last year the subject of irresponsible dog owners who fail to clear up after their animals was regularly raised by people as an issue they found most annoying. This led to the launch of a ‘Dog Fouling Campaign’ last year.

Since last August, a total of 31 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued resulting in a £75 charge for owners who failed to clean up after their dogs.

This year’s events are taking place in the following areas:

• 15 May – Victoria Recreation Ground, George Street/Little Street
• 29 May – Kensington Recreation Ground
• 19 June – Silchester Road, Southcote and surrounding area
• 17 July – Beverley Road/Westwood Road, Tilehurst
• 14 August – Prospect Park
• 18 September – Boults Walk, Aveley Walk.

Love Apps and Clean Streets? You'll Love This... UPDATED

 I've known about the Love Clean Reading app being trialled for a while and, typically, it all goes public when I am holiday in West Sussex with next to no internet access.  Oh well! 

I report a lot of fly-tipping, graffiti etc as I pass through Battle Ward, usually by emailing councillor services.  I now have an alternative.  It's downloaded and waiting for it's first thing to report.  Councillors are being encouraged to trial this app and, if used, it should free up councillors services to deal with casework, rather than Streetcare reporting.  I have already seen positive comments on #rdg about it and I am looking forward to trying it out.

UPDATED:  I have used it four times now.  Once for dog fouling and to report a dumped suitcase, speakers & shelving and a tv stand.  You tap begin, I used my phones gps for the location, you take a pic, add a short description and allocate it to one of the categories listed and hit send!

Once you report something you get a confirmation email then an email when the report is accepted.  Your pictures are shared on the Love Clean Reading website, as are their location.  The status of your case is updated by email and also online.  The website is here: http://loveclean.reading.gov.uk/Reports

You can also use the website to report things.

'Council To Trial Free 'Love Clean Reading' App

29/10/2012
Reading Borough Council Press Release

Reading Borough Council is inviting a group of local residents to help
trial a free new 'app' which will allow people to report things like
litter, graffiti or flytipping direct to the Council whilst they are out
and about.

The new app   called 'Love Clean Reading'   is a quick and easy way for
residents to help the Council keep their local neighbourhood clean by
taking photos of litter, fly tipping, dog mess or graffiti they come
across. All they have to do is take a picture and then use the
downloaded app on their smartphone or tablet to send it directly to the
Council's Sreetcare Team.

More good news on dog fouling in #rdg

As I reported here,  Kensington Park in Battle was targeted as part of an anti-dog fouling campaign.  It's good to hear further irresponsible dog owners have been caught and fined for not cleaning up after their dog.  It's simple, you go out with your dog, you should be prepared to pick up after them.

'Reading Continues to Get Tough on Dog Mess

05/09/2012
Reading Borough Council Press Release

Up to five dog owners have now been caught and fined for not picking up after their pets.

Reading Borough Council's high-profile campaign to combat dog poo has encouraged local residents - including law abiding dog owners - to report incidents of fouling which Council officers have then acted on. This has resulted in 5 fixed penalty notices of £75 being issued to offenders to date.

Offenders have been caught in Kensington Park, outside a school in Wensley Road and Whitley Wood Road - all areas identified as fouling hotspots.

The fines were served under The Fouling of Land by Dogs (Reading) Order 2011 which was introduced by the Council last year. It is hoped it will act as a warning to other dog owners to always ensure they have a bag with them to clear up after their pets when they are out and about on walks.
Over the past few weeks the Council's Dog Warden Service and the Street Care Environment Team have together been touring various parts of Reading as part of an on-going education campaign on the need for dog owners to clear up after their pets. It follows last year's 'We Need To Talk' Council consultation which highlighted dog mess as one of the major gripes residents wanted strong action on.

Dog wardens and the Street Care team have already visited the Whitley, Kensington Park, Newtown and Coley areas, talking to residents, spray painting mess and handing out poop scoops to highlight the extent of this messy problem. The team will visit Tilehurst (Bromley Walk area) during the week beginning the September 10, with the main event day taking place on the 12th September.

Reading Borough Council's Lead Councillor for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Gittings, said: 'We never want to see people fined for such a preventable problem, but we really hate to see our neighbourhoods covered in dog mess. It doesn't take much effort to clean up after our pets and that is all we ask. This tour has been a fantastic success and I hope residents will recognise a positive difference in the near future..'

The dog owners now has 2 weeks to pay the fine. If it is not paid the Council can take legal action through the Magistrates Court with a possible fine of up to £1,000.'

Battle's dog fouling problem being tackled!

You may recall I wrote a blog post last year on the problems residents faced with inconsiderate dog owners failing to clear up their dog's mess: Dog Pooh Problem?

Despite getting new dog waste bins installed, the problem hasn't really got any better.  Dogs can't clear up their own mess so it is strictly down to their owners!  Battle councillors have been asking the Lead Councillor for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Gittings, for action on this horrible problem.

Battle councillors are very pleased to hear that Battle will be the first ward to have a dedicated campaign on dog fouling, starting on13 June in Kensington Park and surrounding areas.  Let's hope this helps educate owners and we see a reduction in the number of fouled pavements.

'Council To Call Foul on Inconsiderate Dog Owners

07/06/2012
Reading Borough Council Press Release

Reading Borough Council's Dog Warden Service and the Street Care Environment team is getting ready to call foul on inconsiderate dog walkers who fail to clean up their pets mess, thanks to a new borough wide campaign.

Good Oxford Road #rdg NAG this evening

I try to get along to as many Oxford Road Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) meetings as possible as they are an excellent way of sharing local information.  Tonight's was attended my local neighbourhood groups, Reading Borough Council (RBC), the Oxford Road Community Policing team, RAHAB and councillors from Battle and Abbey wards.

The main item for discussion was residents concerns about prostitution throughout the Oxford Road NAG area.  The police assured us they are focusing on the problem, targeting kerb crawlers and helping the street workers get the help they need.  They are also focusing on street drinking and drugs, often linked problems.

We were also pleased to hear RBC are working on a 'hotspot' map to identify areas were dog fouling is a particular problem.  Many residents have contacted us concerned about the state of the streets.  Dog fouling is absolutely a problem caused by careless dog owners and RBC are planning a series of educational events throughout the town, similar to the one trialled in Whitley.

We also talked about the Oxford Road Fun Day on 30 June.  Hope to see some of you there!

Sometimes it's the small things

A councillors work is varied - from ensuring roads are resurfaced and libraries refurbished to getting missed bins collected and dog waste bins installed.

This dog waste bin in Little Johns Lane was installed in the last few months because residents were concerned about dog fouling.  I asked if a bin could be provided, and it was.  Let's hope those walking their dogs use it.

Small projects like dog waste bins are just as important as the larger problems and projects because they are important to residents and are therefore important to me.