Dog owners offered a helping hand by Newport family's bag holders
Dog owners in Newport are being offered a helping hand to make sure they clean up after their pets.
Newport residents Tracie Cherrington and her daughter Katie have taken on an idea first made popular by an eight-year-old girl in Somerset as they look to clean up their town.
They were joined by Newport councillor and mayor Peter Scott to launch the initiative which has seen them place free bags in certain areas of the town, held in special holders for dog owners to take.
The holders are made from used plastic bottles and Councillor Scott said it was a wonderful idea, which would hopefully inspire owners to clean up after their pets.
He said: "There was a young girl in Somerset who became an internet sensation because she was only ten years old and she got fed up with the amount of dog poo in the area and created holders out of bottles and filled them with bags for people to use."
No excuse
Tracie and Katie have made their own holders and they have now been placed around Wrekin Avenue, and the Larches at the back of Moorfield School, as well as other areas.
Councillor Scott said there was an issue with dog fouling in the town, despite a concerted campaign, but the new bag holders would give dog owners no excuses.
He said: "We picked up 12 while we went out this morning and it shows there is a need to use these bags.
"What we are doing is making it easy for them saying 'the bags are here, you do not even have to pay for them'.
"We hope the incidents will decrease because we have made it very easy for them to pick the mess up."
