Welcome to Glastonbury, a town where the streets are paved with excrement

During a rare break in the rain clouds this afternoon I decided to take a little walk around the southern part of Glastonbury town this afternoon and quite frankly I was appalled.

Everywhere I looked there were piles of dog mess, in Benedict Street there were at least 3 incidences, along Magdalene Street several more, including one impressive mound right next to a bin that proclaimed “Mendip, the Cleanest District in the Britain”.  Meanwhile navigating along St. Mary’s Walk (between St Mary’s Church in Magdalene Street and Morrison’s supermarket) was akin to walking through a messy minefield with liberal dollops of the stuff everywhere. This is in an area where many tourists to the town will find themselves starting off as it is where The Abbey is located, so it certainly doesn’t create a very good first impression of the town.

To me this is one of the most offensive forms of litter, because not only is it unsightly and damn annoying if you have to clean it from your shoes while out and about, it also spreads Toxocariasis, an infection passed on from roundworm which most commonly affects children up to 5 years old.  Admittedly it is a very rare illness, but at its most extreme can cause blindness.

Now I know that the Glastonbury street cleaners put a lot of time and effort in keeping our streets clean, and it must sometimes feel like a pointless task as they do so regularly, but if this is the result of just one or two days of dog walking I am gobsmacked.  Right next to the church is a sign stating “No Fouling.  Maximum Penalty £1000” and there were several identical signs on my walk so I’d be curious to know if anyone has ever been fined for allowing their dog to foul in Glastonbury, it certainly doesn’t appear to be much of a deterrent.

Another thing I couldn't help but notice while on the subject of filthy dog ends, was the proliferation of cigarette butts along the same pavements, like a cancerous deluge of confetti; it’s not that there aren’t bins to put them in around town.

What do you think?  Are the streets becoming awash with filth?  What should we do with dog owners who allow their dogs to mess up our streets, and people who in general carelessly toss away their rubbish?