FURIOUS Colwyn Bay residents, tired of dog fouling and litter-strewn streets, have hit out at a cleaning inspection.
The streets of Conwy county were voted the cleanest in Wales by a recent independent Keep Wales Tidy inspection. Town centres, parks and residential areas in the county gained a significantly higher cleanliness score than the Welsh average.
But the Colwyn Bay District Enterprise Alliance (CDEA), a group made up of residents in the town, say the results do not reflect the state of the streets.
Sarah Mackrell, vice chairperson of the group, said: “The amount of dog fouling and litter in Colwyn Bay defies description. It has got worse. It seems like the problem has been ignored. Residents have commented on the amount of dog mess outside schools. It is so unhygienic. I personally just think it’s disgusting. Have these inspectors spoken to people in the community?”
Environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy gave the county a cleanliness score of 72.5, which was up five points from last year. The national average was 66.87.
The news comes after Inspector Essi Ahari of North Wales Police blasted irresponsible dog owners during an environmental visual audit of the town. He took to the streets with disability rights campaigner, Damien Plant and used a wheelchair in an attempt to find out the problems faced by wheelchair users.
Father-of-five Tim Saxon from Colwyn Bay said walking to Ysgol Pendorlan from his home in the town’s centre is “worrying.” He said: “During our walks to school we have come across dog fouling, overflowing rubbish bins, rubbish dumped and some other terrible sights. I don’t want my children to have to look at it. It is very unhygienic. It doesn’t really say much for the state of the streets in Wales, this inspection seems like a joke to me.”
During a meeting with members of the CDEA, the Pioneer witnessed the act of an irresponsible dog owner on the Colwyn Bay streets, who did not pick up dog foul and left it on the ground next to a disposal unit.
Sylvia Gouland, chair of CDEA, said the group were “disgusted” to find bags of dog foul hanging from trees in the Greenfield Road area of the town.
Cllr Mike Priestley, Conwy cabinet member for the environment, said: “The council can’t be blamed for dog fouling, the finger has to be pointed at irresponsible dog owners. You do not get clean streets by accident.
“I would advise residents to phone the council on 01492 575337 if they see an incident of dog fouling. We have to work together, residents, dog wardens and dog owners. I am still delighted with the results of the inspection, it was an independent audit and it shows an improvement from last year.”
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