12 September 2023 , 15:26
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A sign warning dog walkers to pick up their pets' mess has been deemed 'fouled up' by a local councillor, following months of campaigning.
Councillor Joan McTigue has accused Middlesbrough Council of botching the "no fouling" sign in Beechwood. She criticised the sign for being too small, positioned too high from the ground, and located in the wrong place.
She expressed her frustration, saying: "It's the daftest thing I've seen in 20 years. Fine for anybody who's 10ft tall. I don't know any residents who are 10ft tall. You need binoculars to read it."
The councillor blasted the council's efforts, saying: "That's at least 10ft from the ground, impossible to read, pointless and the usual waste of our money. It's taken me months to get a sign here and that's the best they can offer. In future, I'll do the job myself."
Cllr McTigue also highlighted the severity of the dog fouling issue on the street, revealing: "It's been a problem for about six to eight months. It was worst I've seen." She added: "There were six or seven piles of it on one side of the road. I've counted it myself. I asked for it all to be cleaned up and it wasn't done."
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Cllr Joan McTigue (left) and dog walker Michelle Gill (right) with the dog fouling sign (Copyright Unknown)Despite her request for the sign to be placed on the left-hand side, where most of the dog fouling occurs, the council eventually installed a small "no fouling" sign on the opposite side of the road, at an elevated height, with a warning that "offenders will be prosecuted".
In a classic case of 'look up', Cllr McTigue said she initially struggled to locate the sign, stating: "They kept saying, 'it's there'. I couldn't see it, I went up and down, but you don't look up in the sky for a road sign."
She lamented the ineffective dog fouling signs that are virtually invisible to the public eye, reports TeesideLive.
Despite the installation of the sign, she noted its failure to curb the dog-fouling issue.
One local resident humorously remarked on the street: "Is that what it says? I haven't got my binoculars out."
Dog walker Michelle Gill echoed similar sentiments, admitting: "I can't see it, can you? I didn't even know it was there until Joan told me."
In response to the situation, a council spokesman stated: "The council responded to a request for a sign in the area and arranged for it to be installed. Concerns relating to dog fouling can by reported online at www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/report or by calling 01642 726001."
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