Anti-mess campaign - first prosecution

ACTION has been taken on recent civic warnings that CCTV would be used in Ballymena town centre to monitor irresponsible dog owners who don’t clean up their pet’s mess.

The first fixed penalty ticket has been issued, with the recipient having to pay a £50 fine.It was Alderman PJ McAvoy, the Chairman of the Ballymena Town Centre Development Company Safer/Cleaner/Accessible sub group, who requested that the Council’s CCTV be used to address the messy town centre problem.

The CCTV and Environmental Health Department worked closely together on the scheme and the first fixed penalty ticket was issued to a dog owner walking his pet through the town centre in the early hours.

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Further detections have been made by CCTV and efforts are being made to identify the owners so as tickets can be issued.

Alderman McAvoy said: “This problem had to be addressed due to the increasing number of complaints being received and the issuing of the £50 fine shows that the CCTV and Environmental Health Dept initiative is working.

“I have no problem in supporting this initiative as failing to clean up after your dog shows no consideration for the public who use the Town Centre including wheelchair users, motability transport, children’s buggies and sight impaired people who have to contend with this problem, as well as pedestrians.”

Nigel Devine Borough Warden for Ballymena Borough Council Environmental Health added: “We seek to encourage responsible dog ownership, part of which is daily exercising of the dog. However, where dogs are walked in any public place dog owners are required to clean-up after their dog.

“It is our intention to continue to work with the CCTV camera operators in order to identify offenders and issue fixed penalty notices as appropriate”.

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