Posted on: Tuesday 1 April 2025
Around 25 people including dog owners took part in the Gentle Poo Protest at Pontnewydd Park, in Cwmbran, on Saturday, organised by the Friends of Pontnewydd Park group.
Leanne Morgan, chairwoman of the Friends of Pontnewydd Park, said: "We organised the poo protest to raise awareness of the fact we have seen a significant increase in dogs' mess not being picked up in our park.
"I've had to come out with buckets and disinfectant to clear it off the path and I've picked up as many as 14 bags of dog excrement. We've had reports of children falling in dogs mess.
"We were joined by lots of responsible dog owners who are part of our park community and some children and families to say no more poo in our park!"
The protest comes as the council is due to launch a borough wide campaign to tackle the issue of dog fouling in public places this month.
The ‘Pick It Up’ campaign will provide packs to sports club, schools and volunteer groups to deter irresponsible owners from leaving dog mess on the ground in their local areas.
Clubs and groups can use a stencil to spray and highlight the mess and will hand out poo bags to dog owners. They will also be asked to highlight and record incidents of dog fouling, which will be used by the council's civil enforcement team to increase targeted education and enforcement.
Cllr Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "It's a criminal offence to allow your dog to foul in a public place and not pick it up and it carries the risk of a £100 on the spot fine. It's also a health hazard and can lead to parasitic infections like Toxocariasis which causes blindness.
"However, it's exceptionally difficult to enforce against owners who leave dog faeces because you need to be present at the precise moment the dog fouls and it often gets left under the cover of darkness or when no one else is around.
"We want to work with all socially minded people and groups affected by this disgusting problem to deter irresponsible owners from blighting our communities.
"We also want members of the public to help by reporting incidents of dog fouling in public places. The more we are aware of the problem, the more we can target our resources."
Croesyceiliog Athletic AFC is among the sports groups backing the Pick It Up campaign.
Club secretary Robert Gwillim said: "A few weeks ago we had to clear more than 20 piles of dog mess before a game and our dug out had basically been turned into a dogs' toilet.
"Since then, we've had our own signs put up asking owners to keep their dogs off the pitch and to clean up after them. However, we've found dog mess directly under the signs.
"We're looking forward to working with the council on this campaign - sooner or later a child or adult is going to get seriously ill."
The number of dog fouling reports made to the council over the past couple of years has increased from 195 in 2022 to 283 in 2024. However, most dog fouling goes unreported. Dog owners can put used dog poo bags in any litter bins.
The council's Pick It Up campaign kicks off at the start of a wider Spring Clean programme of activities aimed at improving the cleanliness and sustainability of local communities.
Community groups can register to take part in the Pick it Up campaign by emailing pickitup@torfaen.gov.uk
Members of the public can also report dog fouling via the council’s website or MyTorfaen app.