OVER 250 examples of dog waste were found during a campaign to raise awareness of fouling in two Deeside parks.
Keep Flintshire Tidy teamed up with Flintshire Council and children from Ysgol Bryn Deva and Golftyn School to help highlight the issue of owners not picking up after their pets.
The 'Bin it, bag it' campaign saw pink flags placed where dog mess was found in both Golftyn Park and Central Park in Connah's Quay last month.
107 examples of dog waste was discovered in just 30 per cent of Golftyn Park, and a further 147 in a single grassed area of Central Park.
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What is most alarming - according to Keep Flintshire Tidy - is that both parks have a 'number of signs and bins' around them.
They say this also raised concerns that 'children are not safe to run free' in their own parks.
A Keep Flintshire Tidy spokesperson said: “This is the scale of the dog fouling at two popular parks in Deeside.
“The pictures show sample areas surveyed in December 2022 during ‘Bag it, bin it’ campaign.
“The amount of dog fouling found within the sample area of Golftyn Park was 107 in 30% of the park and 147 pieces were found in one grassed area of Central Park, adjacent to the schoolyard.
“Both areas have a number of signs and bins around them. Some people decide not to pick up after their dogs even right next to the bin.
“There is no excuse‼️ Children are not safe to run free in their parks. This needs to change."
PIC: Pink flags placed next to dog waste at Connah's Quay parks.
Flintshire Council’s cabinet member for Streetscene and Transportation, Councillor Dave Hughes, said: “Dog fouling continues to be a problem in Flintshire.
“Although many of our dog owners do pick up after their dogs, we are appealing to the small minority of irresponsible dog owners to keep public areas and pavements free from dog mess.”
Jemma Bere, Keep Wales Tidy Policy and Researcher added: “Although an estimated nine out of ten dog owners pick up after their pets, dog poo remains a persistent issue in communities across the country.
"Dog poo can pose a risk to human health but also to a number of other animals too. To promote positive and responsible dog ownership to the minority of dog owners who don’t pick up after their pets, bright pink paw prints are being painted across Wales to easily guide people to the nearest bin.
READ MORE: Deeside-based Our Back Yard project's plea over increasing dog fouling
"These eye-catching paw prints are accompanied by bin stickers and signage to make it as easy as possible for people to find a dog poo bin and do the right thing.”
In recent months, the Our Back yard project has also said it has seen a noticeable increase in fouling across Connah's Quay.
This, they say, has been causing issues for local people who access the green spaces and for local volunteers who give up their spare time to help maintain and improve these areas.
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