Newry Council is facing a dog fouling free-for-all as it struggles to fill enforcement officer roles.
Newry, Mourne and Down District councillors have raised concerns that just 355 complaints over 18 months show people have “given up” on reporting the problem.
A new online strategy on dog mess was brought to the environment committee this week following a notice of motion by Rowallane Alliance cllr, Tierna Howie to provide a longterm solution.
The chamber also heard that the local authority was experiencing a “number of vacancies” in its enforcement and education services on dog fouling, which could take until January 2025 to fill.
Crotlieve Sinn Fein cllr, Mickey Ruane, said: “The statistics we have on complaints are not a true reflection of how bad it really is out there, they simply do not reflect it.
“I would say, you could get as many complaints in one town, never mind the whole district.
“People are just not reporting it, because they have given up.
“They are fed up with it. First and foremost the responsibility is with dog owners, it is not a council problem. Those responsible simply don’t care.
“There is a perception out there that we are not doing enough as a council.
“I can see our guys out there early morning cleaning and sweeping the streets. “Yet you go back out half an hour later and there is more dog fouling.”
NMDDC authorised officers can issue fixed penalty fines of £80 with the council able to pursue court legal proceedings on refusal of payment, which could result in a fine up to £1,000.
Slieve Gullion UUP councillor David Taylor added: “This is an issue we have discussed many times over the years in council to try and eradicate or at least reduce the problem of dog fouling.
“I think the online App will certainly encourage more people to report the problem that exists.
“Just looking at the figures, I actually think it is quite low and doesn’t reflect how wide spread the problem is particularly over the summer months when more people are out walking their dogs, but we are seeing the lowest level of complaints.
“The online system could allow us to be a bit more sophisticated and accurate on how we target the problem.”
A council officer said: “Once the new online reporting form has been developed we will pilot and promote that through the normal channels.
“In relation to enforcement officers, we do have a number of vacancies and temporary posts, that is part of a priority of recruitment.
“It is difficult to put a timeline on that, but we do try to fill the gaps with temporary agency staff where we can.
“Generally a recruitment exercise from the start to someone being appointed takes about three months. We have a small bit of work to do before that, so I would anticipate they will start being filled early January.”
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