News
Owners dumping dog mess as bins removed
THE removal of dogwaste bins in areas such as Shepway, Senacre and Park Wood should be recon- sidered, a local councillor claims. The use of conventional bins to dispose of animal mess has not worked, says Cllr John Barned. He says that parish councils in
more affluent parts of the borough such as Bearsted, Lenham or Sutton Valence can afford to pay for the re- ceptacles to be emptied. But Cllr Barned, who insists that
is not an option for poorer areas, has written to the chairman of the bor- ough council’s communities, hous- ing and environment, Marion Ring, asking for a rethink of the policy. Maidstone Borough Council an- nounced the removal of the bins last year to save money and urged resi- dents to use normal bins or take the waste home. Cllr Barned, of Ukip, said: “Many
parish councils like Lenham have the funds to take the bins back and pay for them to be emptied. But areas like Shepway south, Shepway north, Senacre and Park Wood don’t have parish councils so there is no one to pick up the bill.
Take bags home
Cllr John Barned with Tina Fisher (left) and Caroline McDowell “Shepway south is the most de-
prived area in Maidstone, so how can it afford to have bins emptied?” Conservative Cllr Ring, who lives
in Shepway, said there would be no rethink, adding: “You can put dog waste in normal bins or you can take it home but if people don’t take it home with them, they are fly-tip- ping and that needs to be enforced.” Senacre residents Tina Fisher and CarolineMcDowell are “disgusted” at the state of the bins since the waste receptacleswere removed. Tina said: “I have four dogs and people just don’t seem to be clear- ing up after themselves. The fields nearmeare covered in dog poo. It’s
not a nice place towalk your dogs.” Caroline added: “The bin by the
bus stop up by Longparish is par- ticularly disgusting – it stinks.” In Harrietsham, parish Cllr Glenda Dean reported complaints about the removal of bins and said dog owners leaving the mess be- hindwas “disrespectful” to others. The clerk told members that
when the bins had been removed by MBC, the contents were tipped onto the floor as a suitable carrier had not been brought with staff. Lenham Parish Council has de-
cided to replace six bins and pay £1,300 per year to have them emp- tied.
BEARSTED resident Margaret Young took this picture of an over- flowing bin in Rosemary Road after reading about dog owners throwing bags of dog mess into bushes or hanging them on trees. She said the “normal” bin which
is now meant to be used for both rubbish and animal waste was over-filled. She said: “This waste bin was
overflowing with
bags.Nowonder they are being thrown in hedges or owners are not clearing up after their dogs. I take my dog’s mess home if I can't throw it in a bin.” Cllr Marion Ring, chairman of
the borough council’s environment committee, said: “The sad fact is that for some people you could put a golden carpet down and they would still throw the mess in the hedges.”
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