From 5 February, Wyre Council will be hosting a campaign to help highlight the problem of dog fouling in specific parts of Wyre Estuary Country Park in particular during the dark mornings and nights.



The team of rangers and volunteers will be spray painting, counting and recording incidents of dog fouling (and bags of dog foul) left behind on a stretch of the coastal path, using a temporary biodegradable paint which won’t harm the environment, people or animals.

Councillor David Henderson, Leader of Wyre Council, commented, “This is a new campaign that will hopefully change the behaviour of those that think it’s ok to let their dog foul in our beautiful open spaces, then leave it for others to pick up.

“We want to thank our Wyre dog walkers that do clean up after their dogs, you keep Wyre cleaner and greener!”

The council’s recent ‘Life in Wyre’ survey found the problem of dog fouling was highlighted as the biggest anti-social behaviour problem that residents face and the council receive over 400 complaints per year about this. We recognise that not all dog owners are culprits and in fact many find the issue equally frustrating.

Not only is the problem unsightly, it can have serious health impacts on both humans and dogs. There are a number of parasites and diseases that come from animal faeces that could harm your dog, including parvo virus, giardia, whipworms and coccidiosis.

The best way to prevent these, and the many bacterial infections dogs can acquire from poo, is to pick up dog’s poo and place it in a litter bin or take it home if none are nearby.

Wyre Council has tried a number of campaigns in the past to try and tackle the issue, including the ‘Any Bin Will Do’ campaign to encourage dog owners that there is no specific bins to use to dispose of dog fouling. However, the problem still persists in the borough and we are keen to take on a new approach following the success of similar schemes in other parts of the country, we hope that it will shame those irresponsible owners that feel it is acceptable to let their dogs foul.

Once the campaign has ended, the council will collate our findings to see how successful we have been in changing behaviour.