Maxine Brady, an interior designer from Brighton, found herself “dancing” around dog mess with her friends recently as they walked through Hanover.
“Brighton is such a beautiful city, and it’s awful that parts of it are smeared in dog mess,” she said. “It’s grim. It’s embarrassing and it’s just gross.”
The problem began for Maxine – who has a dog of her own, Teddy – in mid-January. Someone was walking their dog along her road without cleaning up after it.
Piles of mess were appearing at both ends of the street every day, Maxine said. One neighbour found a pile of poo right outside her front door, meaning she had to clear it up before she could leave the house.
Teddy is not impressed by the overflowing bin in Queen’s Park (Image: The Argus)
Maxine put up what she describes as “fairly passive-aggressive posters” on her door, her windows, and near the spots where the dog waste kept appearing.
Several neighbours followed suit – and the problem stopped virtually overnight.
The experience prompted her to launch a petition calling on Brighton and Hove City Council to tackle the problem city-wide.
To see Maxine’s petition, visit change.org/p/tackle-dog-fouling-in-brighton-hove.
She has contacted Hanover ward councillors Tim Rowkins and Maureen Winder about the issue, and says both have been helpful.
Councillor Rowkins told her he too was fed up with having to walk his toddler around dog mess.
Last month, new council signs began appearing in Hanover, including on Maxine’s road, warning dog owners they face an £80 fine for fouling.
This reporter can confirm that Maxine picks up her dog’s mess (Image: The Argus)
While her street was the initial trigger, Maxine says the issue extends far beyond Hanover. She stepped in dog mess twice in a single week, including once in Seven Dials – outside a pub – and describes Queen’s Park as a regular hotspot where bins are frequently overflowing at weekends.
“You can’t get a bag in, so people just dump them or even hang them in branches, which is really disgusting.”
She says that since she launched her campaign and shared it on social media, people from across the city have been in touch to say they want to get involved.
Maxine wants to remind of the consequences of not picking up dog mess (Image: The Argus)
Maxine is keen to highlight that dog fouling is not merely an aesthetic problem.
Dog waste can contain E. coli, roundworms, and other parasites that pose particular dangers to children. In serious cases, contact with faeces can contribute to infections that risk blindness.
She has also pointed to a safety concern beyond health. “People have messaged me saying they push prams in the middle of the road or walk around onto the road because the pavements are so bad,” she said.
“I’ve actually walked in the middle of the road at night because I couldn’t properly see the pavement and I didn’t want it to be the third time that week that I’d stepped in dog mess,” she said.
The council has painted some signs around Hanover recently (Image: The Argus)
Maxine’s petition calls on the council for a citywide public awareness campaign explaining the health risks, increased enforcement with on-the-spot fines, more visible signage at hotspots, more dog waste bins emptied more regularly, and poo bag dispensers at key locations.
Maxine thinks a mixture of factors is to blame: poor education about the risks, laziness, and overflowing dog mess bins. She also suspects many people simply do not realise they can be fined.
“If there were a bit more cultural shame around it, maybe people would be more embarrassed and would pick it up”, she said.
“I’d love Brighton to become the first dog-poo-free city in the UK.”
To see Maxine’s petition, visit change.org/p/tackle-dog-fouling-in-brighton-hove.
Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “I fully understand how frustrating it can be when dog owners do not clean up after their pets.
“Most dog owners are very responsible, but unfortunately there are some that aren’t and their carelessness can impact others.
“We do have signage up in and around our parks and throughout the city, and anyone who is caught not picking up after their pet will be fined.
“But seeing the strength of feeling in the petition and having received correspondence from other residents concerned this is a growing problem, we will be looking to see if there are also other ways we can approach this problem.
“In the meantime, I would always encourage anyone with a dog to make sure they have enough bags with them and to always clear up after their animal.
“It is just common courtesy and helps us keep our streets and public spaces clean.”