Does Barry have a dog waste problem? We did some research

In a post on Facebook in online group ‘Barry Community’ frustrated residents complained about Barry’s supposed dog waste issue.

The post said: “Getting so fed up of lazy dog owners not picking up after their dogs!!! huge mess outside my house, my neighbours and all up the road (Main Street). Absolutely disgusting!!!!”

It turns out in response to this post many locals have had similar experiences.

One user wrote: “Barry Island is full of it…”

Another said: “From what I've witnessed myself it seems to be the older people with their dogs who are also normally old and off lead who don't pick up their poop!

 Or the ones who walk alone with about 3 small dogs and they just can't deal with them all at once, so they just leave it.”

Dog waste bin in Romilly Park Barry (Image: NQ) One user wrote: “Can't understand why people are so thoughtless and why they don't take more pride in their town.”

Another user said: “Removing the bins from Romilly Park hasn’t helped the situation as there’s now only 1 bin for people to use.

You’ll sometimes see piles collected near the gates or hung up on trees or just left on the path.”

Barry and District News carried out an investigation to see what areas of the community were most affected by this.

We visited Romilly Park and got some local dog walker’s opinions.

Tom Pain with his dog in Romilly Park Barry (Image: NQ) Tom Pain aged 30 said: “I live on Gladstone Road and it’s a bit of an issue around our street especially around the side streets.

“People just leave their dog waste lying on the pavements and you’ve got to try and avoid stepping in it.”

Enid Toombs with her dog in Romilly Park (Image: NQ) Enid Toombs aged 82 said: “I don’t think it’s as bad as people make out.”

“Some days we don’t see any and when we are on the beach most of the dog walkers always pick up.”

Naomi East and Sam East with their dog in Romilly Park (Image: NQ)

Naomi East aged 35 said: “It’s closer to Barry Island and the footpaths around there I see it every time I go there.”

Jane Cooke (left) and Rebecca Marsh with their dog in Romilly Park (Image: NQ) Jane Cooke aged 59 said: “Cadoxton is terrible there’s hardly any bins down there at all.

(Speaking about Romilly Park):

“They got rid of one at the top that was really handy. What some people do is they throw it, and you’ve got the waste then.”

Claire Hingott with her dog in Romilly Park (Image: NQ) Claire Hingott aged 49 said: “I come to Romilly Park, and it always seems pretty good but a few more bins would be good to encourage people to get rid of dog waste.”

Jane Olney with her dog in Romilly Park (Image: NQ) Jane Olney aged 62 said: “I think there’s no one place in particular but you see it in most places, not to the point of saturation but it could be better and up on the headland.”

A spokesperson for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said: “We haven’t removed these bins.” (In reference to Romilly Park.)

Barry Town Council were also contacted regarding the online post they said: “This is a matter for the Vale of Glamorgan – they deal with dog fouling issues.”

On its website the Vale of Glamorgan Council states: “If you take a dog for a walk and it fouls in a public space it is your responsibility to pick it up.

 “If you fail to pick up after your dog you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 or be prosecuted which could result in a fine of up to £1,000.”