Dog Fouling
Several complaints have been received about dog fouling and not just in one particular area but over the whole village!!
This is extremely unpleasant for everyone and a serious health risk to children playing .. .. .. the sign stating "no dogs"in the play area is for a very good reason!
Did you know .. ..
It is an offence under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 if your dog fouls designated land and you do not immediately clean it up. Designated land includes parks, playing fields, cemeteries, footpaths, bridleways, access roads, passageways and grass verges. This means that anyone in charge of a dog will commit an offence if they do not clean up immediately after their dog leaves excrement on most public land. The person responsible can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £50 or they can be prosecuted in the Magistrates Court and if found guilty can be fined up to £1,000.
You know if you are guilty, please clean up after your dogs or if you see someone not doing so, please report to the Dog Warden at East Cambridgeshire District Council (01353 665555).
Eds Note: Well of course, it just might be that there are some extraordinarily exemplary children in the village who really are taking the dog for walks ("We'll take it for walks, Mummeee, we will, we will, honest.. .!"). Do we think so? Yes we do! And they definitely won't want to be messing with doggy-dos, not the least because they might be forgiven for worrying about those serious health risks.. ..
Fortunately, we have something of a world-expert in this living in the village (Roger Connan), and he has very kindly agreed to write us an explanatory article about it for next month.
Meanwhile, if the problem is confined to village pavements and playing-ground, then the word-on-the-street is that it now should have now abated. On the other hand, if there is a difficulty with the far-flung Fen droves that Karen seems to be designating, then everyone is completely at a loss. They have absolutely no idea whose dog this could be.