By Chris Story

Last updated at 15:24, Friday, 22 February 2013

Residents of a Carlisle street say they are sick of irresponsible dog owners who are not cleaning up after their pets.

Laura Mitchelhill and James Eccles, of Melbourne Road

People living on Melbourne Road, off Greystone Road, hope a zero-tolerance council campaign will clean up where they live.

They want Carlisle City Council to get tough and catch those responsible.

It is a complaint which reached a peak this week when one resident contacted others, urging them to make their voices heard about the problem and push for immediate action.

Teacher Laura Mitchellhill, 30, who has lived on Melbourne Road since 2009, is tired with seeing the mess and having to clean it up.

She said: “It’s an on-going problem that I’ve really just reached the end of my tether with.

“There are a good bunch of people in this street – nice people – and we don’t want this mess outside our properties.

“I think the tipping point for me came last week. We had a visitor who left at about 10pm. To get into her car she had to step over something that was absolutely foul.

“The problem’s down to a small minority of people.”

Her partner, Environment Agency worker James Eccles, 33, added: “Nothing seems to be being done about it.”

Carlisle City Council has been stepping up efforts to catch and punish those responsible for not cleaning up after dogs as part of its Love Where You Live Campaign.

The area around Melbourne Road is already to be the focus of the next stage of an enforcement and education campaign, starting on Monday.

Its staff charged with tackling dog fouling and other littering problems ensured the street was cleaned up on Wednesday and are investigating to catch those responsible.

Patrols will increase in the St Aidan’s area on Monday as part of the wider campaign to clean up Carlisle. Councillors and residents hope this will help alleviate problems and residents’ concerns.

Elsie Martlew, the councillor responsible for the environment, said: “Areas which have previously received high priority status have seen a decrease in the amount of fouling.

“Since April 2012, 34 fixed penalty notices have been issued for dog fouling and another 17 for dogs off leads.

“The aim of the Love Where You Live campaign is to promote a culture of behavioural change, not a quick-fix solution and there has been a great deal of publicity encouraging residents to report environmental crime.

“The council can provide the necessary tools, including enforcement, but it requires information from residents to target patrols more effectively and encourage community involvement where there is a specific problem to be tackled.”

Anyone with concerns about mess in their street and information about those responsible should call the council’s education and enforcement team on 01228 817559 or email lovewhereyoulive@carlisle.gov.uk.

First published at 14:57, Friday, 22 February 2013
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk