OWNERS who let their dogs mess now face a new weapon in the fight against pavement fouling.
Business owners are praising their clean street after calls from Rhyl residents led to a Denbighshire Council camera crackdown on careless dog owners and litterbugs.
Guto Lloyd-Davies of Gwasg Helygain printers on Kinmel Street, said: “It’s tons better. We reported it once or twice to the council. The ‘undercover’ dog poo squad with cameras came out to catch people.
“We went through a bit of a bad phase, and it only takes three or four owners with a couple of dogs leaving it. Once it’s down, no one else bothers picking them up.”
Traders on Kinmel Street complained to the officials before Christmas, after the area became a fouling hot spot, sparking disgust and worries about hygiene.
Jayne Broster of Beauty Retreat said before contacting the council, she had seen a pile of dog waste sitting on the street for nearly three weeks, and said it was “not nice” to have to navigate the mess.
A Denbighshire spokeswoman said that the environmental officers employed by the county council used head cameras to deter those who think about giving false details or contemplate running away.
They are also used to prevent the offender causing a disturbance or threatening the officers.
She said: “Prior to the use of the camera the officer warns the offender that he has a camera on and it is recording. It is rarely used for recording the actual offence.
“The cameras are also useful if false details are provided as it aids the identification process.”
She added that CCTV was also used to report offenders when footage of both littering and dog fouling was recorded.