Council responds after reports of dog fouling at Sheffield cemetery
New enforcement arrangements have been introduced
Sheffield City Council has reminded dog owners to clean up after their pets following complaints of dog fouling and pets being walked off leads at City Road Cemetery.
The council said the cemetery is a place of remembrance and visitors are expected to behave respectfully.
They confirmed that dogs are allowed inside City Road Cemetery, but must be kept on a lead and remain on the main paths unless they are being taken to visit a specific grave.
Owners are also responsible for cleaning up after their dogs in the cemetery.
The council said it is currently updating signage across its cemetery sites, including City Road Cemetery, to remind dog owners of the rules and to encourage responsible behaviour.
New environmental enforcement patrols have been launched in the city, with officers looking for dog owners not clearing up after their pets. They are also on the look out for litterbugs,
The council said since June it had received three reports relating to dogs being off leads or fouling within the cemetery.
But Amy Upstone, aged 32, from Gleadless Town End, said the number of incidents reported does not reflect the everyday reality.
She has visited the cemetery for just over a year and said she has photographic evidence of two incidents, and witnessed several others.
“We’ve been up there just over a year, and I’ve got proof on my phone of the two incidents, and I’ve probably seen another three or four,” she said.
Having raised the issue with cemetery staff, she said she was told there was little they could do without further funding.
This funding would only come from more reports, she said, as she urged people to report culprits.
“I’ve spoken to the people that work there many times, and I say ‘there’s five or six people walking their dogs’ and they say there’s nothing they can do until more incidents are reported, and they can get funding.”
In response, the council said that while the number of reports receive is relatively low, all concerns raised by visitors are taken seriously.
The council added that cemetery staff have the ability to remind dog owners of the rules and encourage them to keep their dogs on leads and clean up after their pets.
The council is also encouraging anyone who witnesses dog fouling to report it.