Luton family fed up as council takes nearly two weeks to clear dog mess

A Luton woman claims she is angry over the 'lack of action' taken by the council to clear up dog mess from outside of her house.
The mess outside Bushra's houseThe mess outside Bushra's house
The mess outside Bushra's house

Bushra Qureshi, who lives near the New Town area of Luton, found that a dog walker had failed to pick up their canine’s mess and left it on the path directly outside of her home in early March.

The mother claims she called Luton Borough Council to report the faeces around March 8, and then again around March 15, yet the excrement was not cleared up until nearly two weeks later.

Bushra claimed: “My family felt helpless!

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“Eventually, we got so fed up that I asked to speak to chief executive Trevor Holden but I was not allowed to be put through.

“Whenever I called to ask when it would be cleared up, I was passed from one employee to another - no-one knew what they were doing - and the excuses the council staff told me were that it was because they were ‘new’. It made me think ‘why bother’!”

A Luton Borough Council spokeswoman said: “The council takes the issue of dog mess very seriously and our teams do their best to respond to requests for removal within one working day.

“We apologise for the delay on this occasion. A team was sent on March 20 to clear the mess and dog wardens have been informed of this location so that they can monitor it.

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“It is irresponsible of owners to fail to clear up after their dogs. Not only does it make the town unpleasant, but dog faeces carry a very significant health risk that can lead to blindness.

“For this reason we encourage all residents to immediately report any dog mess at www.luton.gov.uk/myaccount

“As patterns of anti-social behaviour emerge we are able to target areas with our enforcement officers.”