Concern over dog fouling

Venting her frustration over the mess she said: “I have two children who go to the Model Primary school and we walk each day (also with a pram for my seven month old). The amount of dog mess is absolutely disgraceful!

“It’s got to the stage now, that on Wednesday I walked on the road to avoid it. It’s the full length of the street until you get to the school (not sure about the other end of the street as I wouldn’t be there), but you would honestly be shocked if you walked it.

“I, and other parents have contacted the council on a number of occasions, my first time was in 2012 when my eldest started school, so no doubt this is an ongoing issue and not just a recent thing. I was told the street gets cleaned regularly, which it certainly doesn’t. In fact, the only people who seem to clean it, are some of the residents when it’s right outside their front door.

“I dread to think how some children’s shoes end up going into school, where it will be walked through out the building. Not to mention, bringing it into their homes.”

She went on: “I have to thoroughly clean my pushchair with bleach and boiling water after each trip I make to the school (which is up and down that street six times a day as my girls finish at different times) and make sure we all take our shoes off as I couldn’t have such filth through the house with a crawling baby.

A spokesperson for Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council said: “Council takes the issue of dog fouling very seriously and to date there has been a tremendous amount of work by both the Environmental Enforcement team and the Street Cleansing team in this area.

“We have carried out patrols and continue to do so, as well as doing leaflet drops.

“Dog bins have been erected in the area and the area is cleansed weekly although there are times when car parking in some parts of the road preventing our mechanical sweeper from getting onto the footpath to clean parts of it. These areas have to be cleaned by manual operatives.

“We received a complaint which was forwarded to Street Cleansing with Brownlow Terrace being cleaned again. Although the resident was pleased with this we were contacted again and advised that once again there was fresh fouling outside their front door this morning (Tuesday).

“Consequently there is an ongoing investigation.”