New idea to tackle dog poo on Buckhaven streets

Buckhaven and Denbeath Community Council members have started placing home-made dispensers full of dog poo bags around the town, so walkers can use them when they are running low.

The response from the community has been positive, to the point that local residents are even topping up the dispensers when they are running out. The idea came from one of the community council members, who put the bags inside an empty bottle and attached it to a street light.

Michelle Ratcliffe, co-chair of the community council, explained that the other members had started putting them up around Buckhaven after hearing about the idea.

“Everyone has been asking us to put them outside their homes,” she said. “It would be good if the community could start putting some up.”

The issue of dog fouling is one that comes up at community councils across Fife – and in Buckhaven it was no different.

Michelle said it was coming up at every meeting and was a “pet hate” among its members.

But she said that while the response from the public has been positive, some people were still choosing to ignore the free bags.

“The public response has been brilliant,” Michelle said. “But some people are letting their dogs do it right under the bags. It’s sheer laziness.”