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• Dog Fouling: two sites win hands down – foul free!

• Date:

  23rd March 2004

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

The issue of dog fouling has always been a contentious one for users of public parks and green spaces and forms a key criterion in the judging of Green Flag Award applications.

Various sites tackle the problem in a variety of ways, such as using by-laws to ensure dog owners clean up after their pets, incorporating dog-free zones, instituting a ‘good dog’ code or providing dog waste bins and poop scoops where practical.

In addition to the more familiar solutions, Hove Park in the southwest has found an innovative answer to the problem, attracting unrivalled comments from judges of ‘no evidence of fouling at all.’

For the 15.8 hectare site, located between the South Downs and the English Channel, has a secret weapon known as FIDO (Faeces Intake Disposal Operation), comprising a quad bike with suction equipment on the end of a long lance that sucks the poop into a tank while the operator drives alongside. The contractor who also empties the dog waste bins then disposes of faeces collected.

Fido was taken on board in the mid 1990s, after being developed by a locally based company, which approached the park with its innovative invention after hearing of its plight through the local newspapers. Originally known as Rover, (Ride on Vehicle Excrement Rover) the newly christened Fido took to the grass ways of Hove Park and was welcomed by visitors and park users.

Senior contracts officer for Brighton & Hove City Council, Rob Dumbrill, said: “Its reception was very positive and it generated quite a bit of publicity at the time.

“I don’t know if the idea took off as much as first hoped but it works for us, especially with the dark nights when dog owners have difficulties clearing up after their dogs when they run off.”

For further information on Hove Park’s solution to cleanliness and maintenance, contact Dave Moody on: 01273 292 061.

Thompson Park, situated in the centre of Burnley, has an unconventional approach towards tackling the problem of dog fouling which works extremely well – a ban on all dogs.

Green Flag Award judges said the park’s ‘policy on banning dogs has proved popular and very successful.’

In actual fact, Burnley Borough Council first took this unusual step in the 1970s, passing a by-law banning dogs from all parks. However, some dog owners were far from happy with the move and a local pressure group took the issue to the high court.

A compromise was subsequently found, with the ban being lifted on some parks and remaining intact on others, this being worked out between pressure groups and the council.

Residents were happy for Thompson Park to retain the ban and an on-site ranger service ensures it is observed by all.

Andy Buck, parks officer for Burnley Borough Council, commented: “It’s all died down now and accepted – it really does work. You get people pushing the rules now and again but the park rangers based there tackle that.”

For further information, contact Andy Buck or Nick Williams at Burnley Borough Council on: 01282 664 611.