Plea to pick up the dog poo and keep Keith's image spot on
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THE fight against dog poo on Keith streets has begun with the aim to keep the town clean.
The appeal to dog owners has been made by Linda Gorn, who is the volunteer chairwoman of the Keith Kilt and Textile Centre on Mid Street.
Mrs Gorn raised the issue after she found pavements covered in dog mess, cigarette butts and rubbish.
She even found dog poo in the lane behind the textile centre, which is within private property.
Mrs Gorn is chairwoman of United Keith, which aims to promote the town.
She said: “It is an environmental health issue when it comes to dog poo because it is a health hazard. It is regular and a disgusting thing.
“So if you are going to be a responsible dog owner, at least clean it up and not leave it for someone else. It is just common sense; if you have a dog, be responsible.
“Responsible dog owners are getting tarnished with the same brush and it is not fair. It is the same for litter, there is enough bins so take the litter and put it in a bin – there is just no excuse.
“The image of the street is that it is unkempt and what image are we giving to visitors to the town?”
Mrs Gorn, who has at times gone out on Mid Street to clean the pavements herself, said she hopes people take more responsibility for their waste.
She added: “We need as many people in this town as we can because of the economic situation at the moment, all shops need people visiting and purchasing items.
“If someone goes to a town and it is unkempt that is the image that is going to go away with them.”
She hopes irresponsible dog owners realise that not picking up dog waste is a criminal offence and can lead to a substantial fine.
Local councillor, Cllr Donald Gatt (Conservative) is also joining the fight against dog poo, after being contacted by Mrs Gorn about the issue.
Cllr Gatt said: “Keith and Cullen constituents mentioning to me the mess left by irresponsible owners not picking up the their dogs poop is rarely absent from my email inbox or being mentioned to me in the street. “So if you are responsible for a dog, please please scoop the poop!”
Cllr Theresa Coull (SNP) said: “Dog fowling has been a huge complaint for a long time not just in Keith but the whole of Moray. I certainly commend Linda Gorn for taking up this cause.
“The public needs to report the dog owners whose dogs are fowling pavements and parks so that Moray Council can take action.
“Hopefully we can as a community work together to keep Keith clean.”
