Broughton dog mess clean up group set up by fed up resident

Dog mess was found of 10.6% of streets last year in a Keep Wales Tidy survey

The problem of dog mess on the streets of his town has led to a man ploughing £10,000 of his own cash into a setting up a clean up

Father of two Gary Downie used his own cash to create Street Kleen, a social enterprise group, after becoming annoyed by the problem in Broughton, Flintshire.

He said his community was "persecuted by unsanitary streets".

Flintshire council says it runs regular litter patrols.

A Keep Wales Tidy survey found dog mess was present on 10.6% of roads in Wales.

Mr Downie said he set up the group because he felt communities were suffering as a result of the problems.

"We fail to see why communities affected by persistent dog fouling have to be persecuted by having unsanitary streets," he said.

He said he and other community members set up Street Kleen to "combat the issue of dog fouling in communities".

He told BBC Radio Wales the plan was to tackle the problem by cleaning up affected areas and trying to educate people to prevent fouling in the first place such as going into schools to teach children.

The group wants to provide work experience training to people in the disposal of hazardous waste.

News of Street Kleen's plans comes as Keep Wales Tidy published its annual survey which showed that the nation's streets are getting cleaner for the fourth consecutive year.

Improvements

However, it says litter is still a big problem with only 2.1% of the monitored streets found to be litter free.

A total of 3715 transects - streets and functional sites - were surveyed.

The latestAll Wales Local Environment Audit Management System Report(How Clean are our Streets?) said initiatives undertaken by Keep Wales Tidy and councils had helped 13 out of 22 local authorities to receive a higher Cleanliness Index (CI) than in previous years.

Environment Minister John Griffiths said: "The Welsh government is committed to improving local environment quality across Wales.

"We are tackling the matter by providing funding to key partners, including Keep Wales Tidy and local authorities, to cover the costs of campaigns and initiatives, such as Tidy Towns."

Flintshire council spokesman said: "We have been patrolling locations across the county on a regular basis and have also been speaking to people out walking their dogs to ensure they are carrying bags with them, as well as making them aware of the penalties should they fail to pick up after their dogs.

"In addition, Dog Watch schemes have been implemented which involve local residents working together with the council and North Wales Police to patrol their own communities and/or pass on information about those who do not pick up after their dogs.

"Broughton is one of our established Dog Watch schemes, and since its introduction we have seen a notable reduction in incidences of dog fouling in the area.

"Lately however, incidences have started to increase again and as a result, the council have decided to increase patrols in this area and to step up engagement with local residents."