Mayor says 'cretin' dog owner left poo on Builth Wells grave

Mayor Mark Hammond said he has “had enough of the selfish and ignorant minority” of dog owners who walk their pet pooches in town, after he was contacted by a distraught local who found dog poo on top of one of her parent’s headstones in the churchyard at St Mary’s, in the centre of Builth.

Councillor Hammond took to Builth Wells Town Council’s Facebook page on Monday afternoon, March 2, claiming these are the type of people “we don’t want in our community”.

“Like many decent members of the public and responsible dog owners, I have now had enough of the selfish and ignorant minority who do not give a damn about where their dogs do their business without bothering to pick it up,” Cllr Hammond said.

“We have had incidents of dog faeces being left in the High Street outside of shops, trodden in and accidently brought into the shops, causing staff to have to clean the revolting mess up.

“In addition, this same minority of badly trained dog owners let their dogs roam freely in public green spaces such as the Groe, allowing them to defecate where they like, with the owners again not picking the mess up.

“They cannot use the excuse of not having bags to do so, as the town council provides thousands of bags per year in the dispensers on the Groe.

“They cannot use the excuse of not having bags to do so, as the town council provides thousands of bags per year in the dispensers on the Groe," says Builth mayor Mark Hammond.

“The Groe is where many of our children play; it’s also where our rugby teams train and play, and where the popular Park Run takes place. I find it incredible that some of our community and some of the visitors to the town act like this.

“What is even more hard to comprehend is the fact that owners of dogs have been seen going into the fenced-off playground area on the Groe with their dogs, and their own children, allowing the dogs to defecate within it whilst numerous children are playing…this stupidity defies belief.

“A behaviour which also defies belief is the fact that there are some dog owners who do pick up the mess, but for some bizarre reason known only to themselves, choose to throw the bags into the gardens of Brynhyfryd Care Home, despite numerous waste bins all over the Groe.

“Sadly, the issues don’t end here: we are also having reports of dogs being allowed to run off lead and trip people up… with the dog owners taking no responsibility of even acknowledging the incident or seeking to help the person tripped up.”

Cllr Hammond described the cemetery incident as the “final straw”.

He added: “I spoke to a lady today who had visited one of her parents’ graves in St Marys churchyard and found a large pile of dog faeces right on top of the grave.

“To say she was very upset would be an understatement. What sort of selfish cretin allows their dog to do this in the first place and then doesn’t bother to pick it up?

“These are the type of people we don’t actually want in our community… allowing the desecration of a grave of someone’s loved one is unforgivable.

“Imagine going to your own parents’ or child’s grave and seeing such a thing.”

Powys County Council has strict rules regarding dog fouling and control, primarily aimed at keeping public spaces clean and safe.

It is an offence to allow a dog to foul on pavements, verges next to highways (40mph or lower), public parks, playing fields, playgrounds, churchyards and public footpaths/bridleways, and not clean it up immediately.

Failure to do so can result in a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.

Cllr Hammond is actively encouraging members of the public to report these issues to the local authority by calling either 01597 827465 or 0845 602 7035, or via email at tls.helpdesk@powys.gov.uk.

The town council says it will also continue to actively monitor the situation.