Bag that poo

[christopher]

Yes, luckily I spotted it last night and avoided it. I didn't know someone was keeping an elephant in the neighbourhood! 

[jaybee]

This morning,I watched a woman wearing a black jacket with a bright pink hood lining,striding ahead whilst her black medium sized dog did a big poo between the new path and footy pitch.She never checked to see what her dog was doing,or where it was doing it.She simply ignored the situation.

I'm going to buy a public address system,and I'll bellow from my window "pick that poo up NOW".

[superstarJJ]

Hi,

I am a manager of one of the teams that uses Diglis to play our home matches and I also live close to the fields. I am becoming increasingly alarmed by the amount of dog mess on the pitches. I have had to remove 5 on the 23rd November and 4 on the 16th November, I now have to carry poo bags and I have to walk the pitches prior to kick off to remove them. Two of my players got poo on there bags which were left at the side of the pitch. This is getting worse week on week.

I also do a sweep of the pitch after the game and remove the litter (I also check the other pitches if anyone has missed anything). Generally the pitches are left in a cleaner state than when we arrived.

In terms of parking, way can't the double yellow lines on the industrial estate be suspended on Sundays and all football traffic can park in this area?

With the regeneration money surely changing facilities would benefit everyone? Over 6000 people play football in worcester and removing facilities will only decrease the amount of people taking part in a sport that keeps people healthy, sometimes its the only activity these lads do.

Regards

[hazel]

Hi

I do sympathise with the problem of dog mess left on the Diglis fields by the dogs owners.

There was a concerted effort a few years ago to have the pitches cleared of rubbish left after the weekend matches, by the 'Friends of Diglis Fields' and I'm pleased to say that the team managers have taken to heart the concerns and now, as you say the rubbish in no longer a problem.

Unfortunately the 'Friends of Diglis Fields' have fragmented after the treasurer resigned and the group went off the radar.

Diglis.com, separate from the 'Friends of Diglis Fields' and with the help of Eco warrior, put up signs stating there there was NO dog poo fairy but I'm afraid there are a few irresponsible dog owners who still take no notice and never pick up. I'm not a dog owner but I've seen first hand the owners who walk well in front of their dogs, not looking back to check there's no mess being left from their dogs. One is a woman who walks with two white Labradors (I think), another is also a woman who has two border collies, she never picks up either, yet another is a large man with one Labrador who stands at the entrance and just waits for his dog to do its business and then leaves it there!

It makes me wild that this happens but what's to be done? I think it safe to say that the 'Friends of Diglis Fields' will not help and apart from Diglis.com there isn't another group who would be willing to attempt to tackle this dog poo problem.

I must add that the majority of dog walkers do pick up after their dogs.

The only course of action I can see is that the Worcester City Council takes the matter in hand and appoint a person with authority to police the area and fine the owners. Perhaps they may consider this?

There was chat a while ago to spray a chalk based paint on the poo that was bright orange in the hope that it would put the pressure on those irresponsible dog owners. The  cost is ?8.81 for one aerosol, then there would have to be a volunteer who would walk the fields each day marking out the piles of poo. I doubt that the 'Friends of Diglis Fields' would do this.

There has been talk of negotiating parking on the industrial estate but as yet the bureaucrats who are handling the improvements to 'Diglis Fields' have not even started!       

[Cllr Lynn Denham]

Worcester City Council Civil Enforcement Officers (car park wardens) are able to issue fines to dog owners who allow their dogs to foul on the fields.  They do have to observe the culprits in action though.

I have asked if the Officers could make some specific visits to Diglis Playing Fields.  As Hazel has observed some specific individuals, is there a particular time of day and route that the Officers should follow?