Referee Halts Match Because of Dog Mess

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The new chairman of Wincanton Sports Ground is spear-heading a campaign to crack down on dog-walkers who let their pets foul the Moor Lane football pitch. The problem has got worse in recent months and the game between Wincanton Town and Wessex under 15s on 14th November had to be stopped for faeces to be removed from the pitch.

Stuart Matthews, a former director of sport at King Arthur"s school, is on a mission in his new role to educate dog lovers on the dangers of fouling areas where children play.

He said: "I would like to see us working together with dog walkers so they can be educated in the dangers dog mess can create for children. We are never going to stop dog walking and don"t want to because it is part of a healthy lifestyle. But we are imploring them not to let their animals foul the pitch.

"We are appealing for the community spirit to shine through and for the better nature of dog walkers to help us eliminate the problem."

Around 150 Wincanton Town players, including eight youth teams of six to 15-year-olds, use the playing fields.

Chairman Nick Hamblin said: "Something has to be done to stop people letting their dogs foul the playing area. The adults get a bucket and spade and remove the mess. We have to spend time before every game checking the pitch and it"s not ideal preparation for a match."

Signs warning against dogs fouling the area have been targeted by vandals or stolen. Several bins are at the ground to take dog waste.

Councillor David Norris, who sits on the open spaces and highways committee of Wincanton Town Council said: "Unfortunately a very small minority are causing this problem for everyone. There are some irresponsible dog owners who don"t pick up after their pets and it is those people who need to be made aware of the dangers."

Article first published in the Western Gazette

Comments

johnsmith
Posts: 1

Dog Mess
Reply #1 on : Wed December 01, 2010, 10:38:00

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I was brought up in the country surrounded by fields and I used to playing with our labrador in that sort of freedom.

In a town that facility to roam the fields is not as freely available. But people still want to have their dog. It brings a bit of status to have a dog. It should also bring a bit of responsibility. Thankfully the majority of dog owners in this area take their dog ownership seriously and ensure that their dogs mess is promptly scooped, bagged and deposited in the appropriate bin.

As always it comes down to a few selfish idiots who simply don't care about other people who suffer because of their stupidity. In this modern day and age of amazing IT we all have the answer. Most people today have mobile phones that can take better pictures than my first Kodak digital camera. So if you see one of those selfish people not clearing up after pooch does what comes naturally, is it lawful to capture the event on camera and send the image with statement to a local authority/police? Is it illegal to name, display, and shame them into sensible conformity? We mustn't break any laws to keep the law, so maybe someone in authority could give us clarification about what we can do to help stop this.

Watch this space.

Well done for speaking out Stuart and congrats on your appointment.

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