Bosses of a housing association say they will visit a group of residents' gardens plagued by dog poo to see if fencing them off is "feasible". For years, residents of the quiet Urmston backwater of Sandown Gardens say they have been troubled by inconsiderate dog owners who allow their pets to defecate freely on their lawns without picking up the mess.
Children walking or cycling to schools nearby, using the narrow path in front of their homes, sometimes stray onto the open-plan gardens also. Residents want the same fencing that was installed around gardens of adjacent properties fronting on to Flixton Road by Trafford Housing Trust.
The iron railings were put up to prevent revellers from a nearby pup from walking on their beloved gardens after closing time. As reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service recently, Frank and Lynda McCoy, both 75, and residents of Sandown Gardens said they had been trying to get fencing put up round the gardens for years.
"Many dog walkers pick up the mess," said Lynda. "But others don't and its been the bain of our lives. Children also walk and cycle on our lawns. We need fencing to prevent this from happening."
Other neighbours echoed the McCoys' call, including neighbours on Flixton Road, who have fencing round their gardens.
After the Local Democracy Reporting Service highlighted the issue, a Trafford Housing Trust spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our customers will always be our top priority, so we have focused our resources on improving and upgrading building and fire safety measures this year.
"Whilst introducing new fencing at any of our Trafford homes is not part of our current maintenance and home improvement programme, we will visit the area and consider whether the installation of fencing is feasible. If so, this request will be considered when planning future neighbourhood improvements, subject to budgets and customer consultation.”
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