MELKSHAM Without Parish Council will ban Bowerhill dog owners from a sports field if people don’t start picking up after their pets.
Councillors agreed at a meeting last week that they would give dog walkers one final chance on the Jubilee sports field at the end of Lancaster Road.
They said that if there isn’t a big reduction in the amount of faeces being left on the field, which children play on, they will completely ban dogs from the sports pitches.
Councillor Alan Baines said at the meeting, “It seems unfair to just impose a ban completely because there are responsible dog owners, too.
“We have a problem and we need to appeal to the public to improve the situation, or we will have to take drastic action.”
Cllr Terry Chivers was in favour of an immediate ban and said a minority of dog owners had ruined the area for other people.
Cllrs Paul Carter and Richard Wood had concerns about how the ban would be enforced, but accepted that, short of paying someone to clear up the mess, the council was almost out of options.
Warning signs will be put up at the entrances to the field and, if an improvement is not seen soon, the council will take further action.
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