Staff at the Royal Jersey Golf Club in Grouville Bay say that a small number of people are allowing their dogs to leave mess on the course – which is Crown-owned common land – or are bagging it before throwing it into the bushes.
The Environment Department is continuing to encourage Islanders to pick up dog mess to keep the Island clean, and a public campaign has been highlighting the worst-affected areas.
The problem became so bad recently that club manager Darren Atwood contacted parish Constable John Le Maistre, who went on to warn parishioners through the parish magazine that dog owners should act responsibly and always remember to pick up after their pets.
Speaking to the JEP shortly after the NatWest Island Games women’s individual and team golf tournament started at the Royal yesterday, Mr Atwood said: ‘Some people are not collecting dog mess and are leaving it where our green staff are strimming.
‘On two occasions staff have been strimming around the bins and golf ball washers, and you can imagine what happens when a strimmer goes through dog mess.
‘They had to go home, shower and change.
‘And if this stuff gets in your eyes, it is dangerous, so there is a health and safety issue there too.’
But it is not just dog mess that is causing a problem.
Mr Atwood explained that out-of-control animals had in the past chased greenkeepers on ride-on lawn mowers, forcing the staff to stop work to prevent an accident.
And in one case a dog ran off with a tool called a ‘swisher’, which is used to sweep dew from greens. It was never recovered.
Mr Le Maistre wrote in the Grouville parish magazine: ‘It is only the minority who spoil it for the majority, but I do ask that everyone acts responsibly.’
SOME dog owners clearly think no one will care if their animals mess in long grass on Grouville Common, an area of public land shared by walkers and golfers.
They are wrong.
As reported today, faeces – some of it in bags – is being thrown into the areas around greens where staff use strimmers to cut the grass.
The results do not bear thinking about.
The States have launched a much-needed campaign to encourage people to dispose of dog poo responsibly and are providing free bags at popular walking spots.
But that effort and expense is pointless if selfish dog owners are simply going to fling them into the nearest bush because they cannot be bothered to find a bin.
As revealed by the JEP earlier this month, only one person has been prosecuted for failing to pick up after their dog since 2008.
If we really want to stamp out this disgusting problem, enforcement and tougher action against offenders is clearly needed.
No one wants to ban dog owners from the Island’s beauty spots, something the National Trust for Jersey has already been forced to do at Grantez because of the mess.
But they will be left with little choice if people refuse to clean up.
- There are over 7,500 licenced dogs in Jersey
- Each dog produces 79.5 grams of poo a day. That’s 221 metric tons (35,000 stone) per year
- The neospora parasite in dog poo causes abortion in cattle, which costs Jersey dairy £20,000 per year
- The parks and gardens team provide 1,000 emergency dog poo bags every month
- The UK Environmental Protection Agency classifies dog poo as a dangerous pollutant
- Parasites found in dog poo include neospora, hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms, salmonella and roundworm
- Roundworm and neospora eggs remain active in the soil long after dog poo has weathered away
- Roundworm can cause conditions such as stomach upsets, sore throats, asthma, and blindness
- Dog poo is one of the leading sources of E. Coli contamination
- An average size pile of poo contains 1.5 billion E.Coli bacteria[/breakout]
The Environment Department recently ran a two-week initiative to get Islanders to name the worst dog mess hotspots as part of a new campaign to tackle the problem which is blighting large areas of Jersey.
After coming up with a list of the worst places, the department will then focus resources on cleaning those spots and educating dogs walkers in the area to clean up after their pet.
Meanwhile, poo bags and posters were handed out as part of the campaign, and Islanders were given free stickers to put on their household bins informing dog walkers that they are happy to accept their pet’s bagged faeces.
The campaign, which is called ‘Proud of you for picking up my poo’ and features a smiling dog called Eric, has been launched following repeated complaints about the extent of dog mess both in town and in the countryside.
Dog faeces can be hazardous to the environment as well as human health as it can result in toxocariasis – an infection which can damage eyes and organs, particularly in younger children.
There are more than 7,500 licensed dogs in Jersey, which produce a total of 221 tons of poo each year – the equivalent weight of 30 elephants. If just one dog owner does not pick up after their dog, that is the equivalent of 30 kg of littering each year, according to the Environment Department.
