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Barnsbury Square |
Ex-MP calls for ban on rampaging dogs
‘Wretched alsatians make terrible mess of park’
A FORMER MP is calling for dogs to be banned from a Barnsbury park because they are scaring residents away.
Roy Roebuck, who lives in Barnsbury, says huge alsatians have been let loose in Barnsbury Square Gardens, terrifying his neighbours so much they are too frightened to use the park any longer.
Islington Council introduced dog control orders in July last year, giving powers to wardens to fine owners for letting their dogs off the leash in designated areas or for not cleaning up after their pets.
But, despite the Tribune’s postbag overflowing with complaints from residents who claim to have seen dog owners flouting the rules, not one fine has been issued in Barnsbury Square Gardens in the past seven months. Since the new powers were introduced, across Islington 28 people have been issued with £80 spot fines for taking dogs into banned areas, and 34 fined for dog fouling.
Mr Roebuck, who was Labour MP for Harrow East from 1966 to 1970, said: “The council did some jolly good things in Barnsbury Square – they sorted out the lawn and planting – but every time I’ve been there we’ve been failed by these dogs roaming around. Often a lot of them are quite large. I’ve seen these wretched alsatians let loose and making a terrible mess.
“I’ve seen some older women getting quite frightened and some people no longer go there. It’s a pity because it’s valuable for people who don’t have a garden or who are less agile. It’s rotten that it’s been spoiled in this way.”
He added: “It’s such a small area I don’t think they should allow dogs at all. The notice says people should have animals on leads, which is widely ignored. The notion that you can have somebody patrolling around dishing out fines is absurd.”
Mr Roebuck said that he walked through Barnsbury Square two or three times a week without seeing anybody supervising dogs. “Every time I’ve been in, there have been dogs rampaging around,” he added.
A Town Hall spokesman said: “We’ve handed out hundreds of leaflets and ‘dog bags’ to people in our parks and open spaces, so the vast majority of people understand the issues.
“In our consultation, there was overwhelming support for the council taking action against the minority of irresponsible dog owners. There are prominent signs displayed at our parks explaining the regulations for dog owners.” |
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