Poo patrol and bigger bins means dog poop piles could be a thing of the past in East Cambs

An East Cambs District Council bin that is over flowing in Ely.Picture: EAST CAMBS DISTRICT COUNCIL (Image: Archant)

Busy dog walker areas in the district have been given bins with “larger capacity” to put an end to an overflow poop piling problem and a dedicated poo patrol put in place to keep an eye on the issue.

James Khan, waste minimisation and fleet manger, for East Cambs District Council, said: “Following an internal assessment, a number of dog bins have been upgraded with a larger capacity to meet the increased level of usage in prolific dog walking areas.

“This has resulted in a reduction of overflowing dog bins throughout the district.

A dedicated crew has been created within street cleansing with the sole purpose of waste collection from both litter and dog bins, he added.

Bigger dog poo bins have been installed in East Cambs to cope with demand (Image: Archant)

“This has resulted in a reduction of missed bin complaints received from residents and ensures that bins receiving a higher usage from members of the public receive the adequate level of service to compensate,” he said.

The Blue Cross animal charity said: “Dog fouling consistently ranks as the number one thing local councils receive complaints about, and it’s easy to understand why.

“It smells, it gets stuck to your shoes, and it causes a hazard to the environment.

“Canine faeces can contain parasites that, if not cleaned up, can spread to grass and, if eaten, can cause blindness in people and pregnant cattle to abort their young.”

The PDSA says that dog ownership in the UK has increased from 8.3 million in 2011 compared to 8.9 million in 2018.

Around one in five homes in East Cambs own a dog, according to figures from the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, with half a million dogs in the East of England.