A LOCAL residents' group have partnered with Belfast City Council to clean up the footpaths of the lower Falls.
Beechmount has been highlighted as a ‘red zone’ for dog fouling by a Council dog warden.
The Beechmount Residents' Collective have been given hundreds of free ‘dog poo bags’ to encourage dog owners in the area to take responsibility for their pets and help improve the cleanliness of the area.
Sean Doherty from the group said: “We have been stopped in the streets and contacted on social media by residents of our area with complaints about dog fouling. We have had a lot of engagement to help clean the area up and this is a good start.
“Belfast City Council have been working together with us after they did a patrol of the area and have found that the Beechmount area and lower Falls is a really bad spot for dog fouling,” he added.
Belfast City Council have highlighted Beechmount as a 'Red Zone'
Sean also congratulated local businesses who are also taking part in the initiative and have offered to hand out the free dog fouling bags to their customers.
“Barnes’ Fish and Chip shop, McGovern’s Centra shop, Mick’s Local Shop along with Fitzy’s convenance store have all partnered with ourselves to help distribute the bags to customers that they see with their dogs or that may have dogs and will grab a handful of bags as they leave these stores," Sean continued.
“Some people are irresponsible, and we want to encourage them in picking up after their dogs, however some people really struggle and may not be able to afford them, it is important to make sure though that our streets are kept clean”.
Sean also made it clear that it’s not just about keeping the area clean, but also keeping the area safe as the diseases found within dog excrement could pose a health risk.
“It’s not just keeping the streets clean, there are a lot of kids in this area, and we have seen the horror stories across Ireland or the UK where children have touched the faeces and ended up blind. If you own a dog, you are responsible for its actions.”
Residents of the lower Falls and Beechmount area can get their free bags at Barnes’ Fish and Chip shop, McGovern’s Centra shop, Mick’s Local shop also available in Fitzy’s 24-hour Convenance store to help keep the area safe and clean.
