A mum has voiced fears for her children amid a "nightmare" of dog poo and dogs left off leads near their school. Sadiat Lamoriyu believes the problem is getting out of control in Ely, Cardiff.
The support worker's daughters Alesha, nine, and Naomi, eight, attend Hywel Dda primary school on Cambria Road. Sadiat, 40, said the streets around the school are strewn with dog mess, and she was recently "terrified" by an aggressive dog off its lead in Deere Road park.
She said: "I was on my way to Hywel Dda when a dog ran away from its owner and jumped at me in the park. I don't know what breed it was but it was quite a big one. I slipped in the mud and the dog did not stop jumping at me. I was so frightened. I landed on the mud but if I'd landed on the hard path I could have broken my arm."
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Eventually the dog owner shouted at his pet to stop and it obeyed. Sadiat recalled the owner said the incident was "funny", to which she replied it was not.
Sadiat told WalesOnline there have been other recent occasions when she has run away from large dogs and been chased in Deere Road park. "My children aren't scared of dogs but I am," she said.
When Sadiat moved to Ely in 2016 the area was "dog poo free" but it started to become a "nightmare" around two years ago, she said. "We can hardly walk the children to school without having to look on the floor or tip-toe... We are losing confidence in walking."
On one recent morning Sadiat was "furious" to see dog waste littered on "every street" between Mostyn Road and Cambria Road. On another, she was taking out her bin when she slipped in dog poo which had been left on her driveway. "I was so annoyed because the odour was just horrifying," she said.
Her daughter Alesha added: "When we first moved here there wasn't dog poo. Now I have to look at the pavement all the time so I don't step on it."
Sadiat posted about the issue online, on the Nextdoor local forum, prompting 64 comments from Ely residents similarly fed up. One woman wrote: "Happens outside my gate, I've even found it on my pathway in my garden, it's so disgusting."
One neighbour suggested there should be more dog waste bins in the area, while another commented: "Moved to the area a year ago and seen lots of dog mess on paths and on my front garden grass once!"
Sadiat believes owners need to be more responsible in picking up their dogs' poo and keeping them on leads, but added: "There are some areas where you see stickers saying you'll be fined for dog-fouling. I don't see them in Ely. CCTV might be too expensive so it might be difficult to enforce. But I feel for awareness, some stickers might at least put people off."
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “Signage is being introduced to parks across the city to remind dog owners of their responsibilities under the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which was introduced last autumn. The new PSPO prohibits dog fouling, requiring it to be cleaned up immediately, and also requires dogs to be kept under control in public places.
"Irresponsible dog owners who breach the terms of the PSPO could face a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100, which if not paid, could increase to £1,000. In addition to signage, enforcement officers will be attending the area and stickers highlighting the potential for fines will be placed in the vicinity.” You can read more stories about Cardiff issues here.
