Whilst the photo above is there to draw your attention to this problem, the fact that some people do not pick up after their dog is not a joking matter.

We are aware that there are certain dog-walkers who are letting their dogs poo in our Wild Flower Meadow without picking it up and binning it and this meadow is part of the Country Park.

There really is no excuse for this. There is only one entrance to/exit from the Wild Flower Meadow and there is a dog-poo bin located near that entrance/exit.
You can’t miss it.

Remember that any litter bin in Northampton Borough can be used for dog poo bags, not just the dedicated ones.

idverde have done an excellent job during these difficult times making sure that the bins are emptied every week so, again, there is no excuse for not bagging it and binning it.

If you need even more incentive to be sociable, neighbourly and basically humane, consider this :

• Anyone who fails to clear up after their dog can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100. If the case goes to court this could cost the owner or person in charge of the animal up to £1,000. The law states that being unaware a dog has fouled or not having a suitable bag is not a reasonable excuse. This law applies to the whole of the meadow (and park) area ~ inside the mown path as well as the path round the meadow itself .
• Our Wild Flower Meadow will used by the children of the Hunsbury Park Primary School for some of their outdoor lessons, and the Friends and idverde are investing a lot of money in funding an Interpretation Board that we are in the process of getting installed to help in this.
• We have been developing the field as a Wild Flower Meadow for several years now and have planted a wide variety of wild flowers to attract wildlife, as well as to look attractive as it develops. Dog poo does not do anything to enhance this and positively detracts from it. Even if the dog-poo-bandits are not interested in the biodiversity within the Park many others are.
• It is not just a park for dog walkers. Everyone should be able to enjoy the biodiversity within it without have to worry about stepping in someone else’s mess or having their children fall sick.

If we manage to get incriminating photographs of any dogs/owners who are ignoring the park’s byelaws, we will forward them to the Park Rangers so that they can initiate prosecution.

In the meantime, we are really grateful to those of you who do tidy up after your dogs.

During these troubling times, please take extra care to bin your dog poo bags and your litter, or take it home. Also, please remember that the great majority of ‘wet wipes’ are not biodegradable and so while we may be using more of them when we are out in the parks to help ward off Coronavirus, please make sure to bin them.

Let’s all keep safe.