SINN Féin Councillor Patricia Logue has made an urgent appeal for dog owners to heed the warnings about the dangers of dog fouling.
Her call comes after being inundated with complaints in the Bogside about a spate of dog fouling affecting hundreds of homes in the area.
Councillor Logue said: “I have been contacted by residents since the start of the new year about the problem of dog fouling in the Bogside area.
“Residents are coming out of their homes each day to be greeted with a mess on their doorsteps.
“People who don’t see it on the ground are walking through it. It is being picked up on the wheels of children’s prams, bikes and wheelchairs and taken into homes and cars.
“I know that the vast majority of dog owners are very responsible and ensure that their dogs waste is removed.
“Sadly, a small number of owners do not – thus resulting in an unsightly mess and a health hazard being left throughout the area.
“We have heard in recent weeks the harrowing story of the Mayor of our City Michaela Boyle who lost the sight of one eye as a five-year-old.
“She had been playing in sand close to her family home unaware it was infested with worms from dog faeces.
“She had contracted toxocariasis, a potentially lethal disease carried in dog faeces which can also cause blindness.
“Members of the Martin McGuinness Cumann this week delivered letters and information leaflets to hundreds of homes in and around the Lonemoor Road district which has been blighted with this problem due to it being located on a busy main arterial route.
“I am appealing to dog owners that all dog waste is removed and placed in several bins throughout the area.
“I have also been in contact with the Council Dog warden and asked for additional warden patrols in the area to enforce the regulation around dog fouling.
“And i have asked for extra dog waste bins and signage to be installed,” she added.
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