A POSTER campaign against dog fouling is set to be launched in Argyll and Bute after councillors agreed to up the ante against irresponsible owners.
Members of the council’s environment, development and infrastructure (EDI) committee agreed that the authority was “going round in circles” with the actions it was taking.
And the leader of the council is to contact various groups across the area, including community councils, to seek their help in addressing the problem.
Kintyre and the Islands Liberal Democrat councillor Robin Currie, who is also chair of the EDI committee, said that everybody who cares about their community had a part to play.
A range of poster designs were supplied to councillors for consideration, including one with a pair of staring eyes, which is used by Keep Britain Tidy. The discussion took place at the committee’s virtual meeting on Thursday, June 3.
READ MORE: Council laments 'limited' info from public in fight on dog fouling
South Kintyre Conservative Councillor Donald Kelly said: “It is down to irresponsible people. We have been round the houses on this and it is not going to make any difference to them.
“The only way around it is naming and shaming to ensure that the police, maybe for a period of time, allocate some police hours to coach people through the correct process.
“Regardless of what we do as a council, we will never get to the bottom of this problem.”
Councillor Currie then said: “It is disgusting – we do not accept humans urinating in public places; why should we put up with dog fouling?”
He then read out the motion, which said: “Every community in every council area in Scotland is affected by the scourge of dog fouling and the challenges of tackling this particular anti-social behaviour.
“Here in Argyll and Bute, we want to do what we can for the people who live in and visit our communities.
“Everyone who cares about their local community has a part to play in tackling dog fouling. This report outlines some of the actions that the council can and does take to play its part.
“We want to build on this and work in partnership with our communities who share our views about the impact of this.”
The committee was then asked to welcome the ongoing work to help reduce dog fouling and approve the proposals to introduce a poster campaign around dog fouling.
Councillor Currie will also write to community councils and other parties in the area seeking their assistance in a partnership approach.
Additional posters will also be circulated to ensure the message goes further across the area.
Oban South and the Isles SNP Councillor Jim Lynch said: “Some of the posters with eyes scare me but we are going round in circles here.
“I think we need to take more of a positive aggressive action on this, and I think it is a good idea to up the ante.”
Councillor Currie’s motion was unanimously agreed by the committee.
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