Sponsored by
Leeds old folks homes dog mess anger
BLIGHTED: Joyce Smith and her double-amputee husband Walter outside their home.
Older people in a Leeds sheltered housing complex are being forced to clear up dog mess left by irresponsible pet owners.
People living in the homes in Wellington Gardens, Bramley - most of whom are retired and grandparents - say fouling and other anti-social behaviour has seen a recent upsurge.
They are especially upset about dog owners who allow their animals to foul on the pavement and grassed areas - and in some cases on their lawns.
Residents - among them people in their 80s in wheelchairs - have been forced to go out and clean the mess.
Sylvia Hawkins, a volunteer at the local community centre, said: “It’s really hard going round with a bucket to clean it up. The sheltered housing residents are having to do it themselves. The culprits seem to be invisible. People have stepped on it and can catch it on their wheelchairs.”
Wellington Gardens is often used as a cut through to Bramley’s town centre.
Grandmother Joyce Smith, who lives with double amputee husband Walter, 82, said: “I don’t have a dog but they leave mess outside my house and on my lawn. My grandkids, aged five and 11, play on the grass and I don’t want them getting muck on them. It’s not right, they should clean up after themselves. But I will have to do it if I want the kids to play on the grass. We should not have to live like this,” she said.
Eileen Cheney, 84, who has lived in the complex for more than 20 years and is also wheelchair-bound, said the problem had got worse recently.
“I push myself out in my chair and stick mostly to the path but I have got [dog mess] on my wheels a few times,” she said. “You are looking around you all the time. It’s a nuisance.”
The matter has been reported to Leeds City Council’s environmental team.
Representatives at a recent community meeting in Bramley told locals: “We will work on helping you keep the area clean.”
Campaigner Patrick Simpson suggested there should be a new a bye law to force dog owners to carry a carrier bag – and use it. Bramley Labour councillor Neil Taggart added: “We need to encourage people to be more responsible.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
