Investigation Launched into Belfast Dog Fouling Vehicles amid Rising Concerns

Questions have been asked at City Hall about the effectiveness of the FIDO dog fouling removal vehicle as Belfast councillors have noted spikes of dog fouling across the city.

Sinn Féin Councillor's Concern

Sinn Féin Councillor for the Court area Claire Canavan has asked for a review into the FIDO vehicle, and has questioned its effectiveness in the face of a spike in dog fouling in the Springfield Road area in West Belfast. The review will also look into cleansing team structures across the city. Councillor Canavan said at the March meeting of Belfast City Council’s People and Communities Committee: “We have a FIDO machine in each quarter of the city, and I would propose we carry out a review into their effectiveness...

Challenges and Proposed Solutions

She urged as part of the review that staff are spoken to and the cleansing team structure is analyzed. The committee agreed to her request.

Council Discussion

DUP Councillor for Titanic, Ruth Brooks asked members if they had heard of more reports of dog fouling in the last six months, and said in her area “it felt literally like an epidemic” of dog fouling. A council officer said: “Members might be surprised at the frequency at which we clean streets in Belfast, or how often we clean them and come back to find the same things on that street. We are there to clean it...

Focus on Health and Safety

"What we are looking at now is a review of the equipment we are using, because there are health and safety issues for our staff who are lifting it, believe it or not. So we are conscious of the issues our staff face. So we will talk to the area manager around this, to find out what these issues