At Mickleover, Stefan Czuplac has gone to considerable lengths to eliminate the problem outside his home at the station, by installing, at his own expense, a CCTV camera and by keeping a log of offences which amount to between 25 and 30 per week.
This work has paid dividends, although the problem has not, by any means, gone away. However, the good news is that an offender has been identified and issued with a fixed penalty notice to the tune of £50. Failure to pay this money will mean a court appearance where a fine is likely to be much heavier as the evidence is irrefutable.
£50 is not sufficient in my opinion, but it is likely to prevent a second offence at least from this offender. Unfortunately the name of the person will not be published at this stage.
At Breadsall, the problem is worse, since we have only occasional coverage by Rangers and none by local householders. Yesterday I was asked at short notice, to unlock the Mansfield Road Gate so that a Streetpride team could get onto the path and clean it up after a complaint by a member of the public. A third of a bin liner full was removed from the first 100m of the path.
We have had discussions today with the Head of Environmental Services at Derby City Council who will arrange for more patrols by Council Officers (used to be called "Dog Wardens") and for the supply to us of copies of the above card which helps to spread awareness amongst dog owners and the general public.
These measures will make only a small (if any) improvement, but not much more can be done without a change of attitude by the miscreants. The unkempt appearance of some verges does not help and we have recently had the verges mown at Mickleover and hope to see the Breadsall Greenway similarly treated shortly.
1 comment:
Pleased to see that the unkempt state of the Breadsall Greenway has been noted. This situation leads users to reach the conclusion that anything goes here. The first 100metres of the path is always the worst. Dog walkers park up on the Paddock car park and let their dogs off the lead once they are on the trail. The natural thing for the dog then, is to relieve itself, either No1 or No2!
JohnS
Post a Comment