A Good Neighbour?

I think not!

That said, there is a certain anarchic quality to somebody, who watches her dog foul an area by waste bins and doesn't clear up. It's not like you'd even have to carry it any distance!

That said, at least it'll keep the flies away from the bins!

A Spectre Is Haunting Lewes.....

....The spectre of dog mess! Now I'm sure Karl Marx will forgive me for borrowing that opening but this is the stuff, of which social revolution is made.

I must, at the outset, thank one of our South East England operatives, whom I will identify as "PF", for sniffing out this information.

I have often been to Lewes, I love the antique shops. I must be honest, I have never had to scrape my shoes off after a visit. This just goes to show that we are not always aware of our surroundings! Lewes is clearly awash!

Cllrs Petrina Klingham and Ashley Price

As many will agree, for every Ying there is a Yang. Here, the Yang takes the form of councillors Petrina Klingham and Ashley Price. These two determined people have joined the fight and, like us, are using their blogs to combat dog fouling, Ashley here and Petrina here. As Ashley is quoted as observing here, “Poo does not make any form of aesthetic contribution or lend artistic merit to the landscape.”

Ashley and Petrina are focused on Lewes Railway Land, a beauty spot. This campaign has reached a national audience on the BBC website here. The BBC is a reliable source of acts and figures. The BBC advises that 150 tonnes of dog waste is emptied from the bins in Lewes per year. 150 tonnes! There must be many times that amount left lying around. I wonder why the council isn't piloting the concept of powering lamps as seen below?

The people of Lewes have my sympathy. I went for a walk two days ago and skidded on a pile on a country path. That was bad enough but150 tonnes? No way!

Petrina and Ashley, you are looking at the tip of the iceberg. That said, it's good to see local politicians getting up close and personal and then blogging about the problem. This is democracy in action, there'll be one heck of a stink if you fail!

Dog Fouling E-Petition - Please Sign!

For anyone, who might be unaware, the UK has a system of e-petitions. You submit your e-petition to the Home Office website. It is vetted and, if approved, goes on line. 100,000 signatures in a year could prompt a debate in parliament.

I have, in the interests of democracy and mending broken communities, submitted the following petition, which has been approved:

That the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 be repealed and replaced with national legislation making dog fouling a criminal offence with sufficient penalties to enable allegations to be heard at the Crown Court

Imagine the debate in parliament; "can I ask the honourable member if she has ever plastered her shoes in dog faeces? If she had, she might not be laughing" or "has the honourable member recently had to pay to have his carpets cleaned? This is a problem faced by thousands of families on low incomes".

I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to sign this petition. Together, we can show that democracy works for the people and isn't there to enable individuals to have a laugh. Absolutely not!!!

Please sign here.

Cathedral of Praise TV - Lighting the Darkness!!

Every once in a while, a shaft of light sparkles through the darkness! Today, that shaft of light is the Cathedral of Praise!

I have walked in the darkness for too long! I have watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Exorcist and even Postman Pat (that cat is truly demonic!). Since watching these programmes, my life has thundered downhill! I now spend my existence in darkness and seek only to become undead, existing in a state of damnation for all eternity as I deliver letters while sinking my fangs into the necks of virgins!

The Cathedral of Praise has changed all that for me. I now realise that Coronation Street is a instrument of darkness - fornication, adultery, violence, theft and frequent parking violations! I won't be watching Euro 2012 anymore - too much spitting! But enough of my personal journey!

I must also congratulate C of P Ministries on the way they have weaved dog fouling into their message. This makes it relevant and pertinent to all of us, especially those, who have ever plastered their carpets!

Stick with the video, it delivers a powerful message and is worth it all for the closing sequence when the agent of Hades is defeated by the power of light - and dog faeces!

The Park Lamp Idea Hits The UK

Gary Downie

Many of our regular visitors and followers will remember the Massachusetts project to use dog excrement to fuel street lamps.

I must admit that I thought this would only happen in the US but Gary Downie has proved us wrong and we thank the Mail Online for bringing this to our attention.

Gary was fed up with getting dog faeces on his children's shoes and stroller. Most of us would react by getting a cloth and a hose. Gary was having none of that and reacted by sinking £10,000 of his own money into designing the ‘dog stations’ with his business partner Christopher Dunn, from Ellesmere Port.

There is, however, a real challenge here. Gary and Christopher will have to collect 4 tonnes of faeces every day to pilot the project! I know the problem is bad but 4 tonnes? I can only assume that Gary has scoped out the business case and discovered that there is a locally based breeding centre for St Bernards. If there isn't, then I suggest that he gets a courier firm engaged as soon as possible!

The following simple picture from the StreetKleen site explains it all.

StreetKleen Bio Project

We wish this project well. The company is looking to employ 6 people. Great for the economy but I hope they have large shovels and a face mask each.

StreetKleen site here.

Mail Online here.