10:19am Monday 3rd November 2008
A football team is forced to scrape mounds of dog faeces off their playing fields everytime it has a game, and one parent is calling on Hilingdon Council to take action.
Martin Chalk, whose 15-year-old son David plays for Bessborough Park Rangers, had the unpleasant task of clearing the pitch of mess on Sidmouth Drive Playing Fields a few weeks ago.
The parents take it in turns to scoop up the dog droppings, and Mr Chalk wants to the council to do more to help keep their pitches clean.
He said: “Our first call of duty when kids turn up is for somebody to go round with a bag to pick up all the dog crap.
“I was absolutely astonished by the amount of poo we had collected.”
Last week he emailed the council suggesting it installed bins at the park entrances in Thurlston Road and Torrington Road, and put up signs reminding dog owners to pick up after their animals.
But his ideas were ‘poo poo-ed’ by the council officer in charge of green spaces, Damien Searle, who sent an email back to Mr Chalk.
He said the entrances are due to be gated off in the near future so bins would not be installed, and he suggested irresponsible dog owners will not change their ways if signs are put up.
He wrote: “Signage - whilst this may be handy in terms of enforcement, experience tells us that this has little impact on non-responsible dog owners who simply ignore the signs.
“Besides which, surely picking up after your dog is already well known, just as ‘no murdering’ signs are not required.
“There is also the aesthetic implications of signs, people visit parks to get away from it all and enjoy nature.”
Mr Clark is worried if the situation is not improved, the young footballers, aged between eight and 16 years old, may contract diseases if they have to continue playing on a pitch littered with faeces.
He said: “My son and others regularly enjoy a vigorous game of football.
“This involves finishing up covered in mud, all part of the game. Dog faeces is neither a fun part of the game, nor in any way acceptable.”
Since Mr Chalk raised the matter with the council, park rangers have visited Sidmouth Drive Playing Fields as well as three other recreational grounds to speak to dog owners about their responsiblities and to hand out dog waste disposal bags.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/trade_directory/