Belfast dog mess 'poovers' nothing but a hound dog - out of action more than they're working, claim councillors

The FIDO “poovers” – motorised carts with suction devices meant to make clearing befouled city streets easier – are nothing but a hound dog, say politicians, as they’re regularly in for repair for weeks at a time, leaving footpaths filthy.

The issue came up at a council committee this week, during which politicians complained that the capital is still struggling to get to grips with its dog poo plague.

They’re now calling for a review of FIDO machines, thinking there might be a better way of tackling an issue that’s a frequent thorn in the side of city residents.

The vile nature of Belfast’s poop problem was brought home to one councillor in a traumatic and repulsive way just a couple of weeks ago, when Nicola Verner’s 18-month-old nephew fell over while visiting a memorial to his late father in Shankill Graveyard – only to come up covered in dog mess.

She told the News Letter: “He was toddling along in the memorial park, the way you’d expect for a child of that age, and went over.

"When he came up, his clothes and shoes were covered in disgusting mess. His mother was terrified, we all know the risks to children if that gets in their eyes or mouth.

"There aren’t any facilities in that area, so she had to take him back to the car and basically strip him off and find some way of cleaning him up.

"It’s an increasing problem in what is supposed to be area of quiet reflection; owners either let their dogs off their leads and lose track of them so don’t see when they foul the area, or see them do it and just don’t care.

"The council does react quickly when told somewhere has become a fouling hotspot, but there’s only so much we can do. Ultimately, it’s on dog owners to be responsible; in this case they were irresponsible, and an 18-month-old child was the victim.”

DUP group leader, councillor Sarah Bunting, said the party is increasingly often raising issues of fouling hotspots outside schools and on busy streets, but tackling the problem is proving tough.

"There are ongoing issues with the FIDO machines, which are supposed to clean the dog fouling from paths, and in South Belfast we were without a machine for a significant amount of time,” she stated.

"Across the city there are issues with machines breaking down or not being able to access areas due to street furniture, parked cars and so on.

"Enforcement is key; it’s needed to hold owners accountable for their actions and ensure they become responsible when in public spaces. We cannot allow this to continue and need to highlight that it is completely unacceptable behaviour.”

During this week’s committee meeting, a council official promised to check into issues with FIDO “poovers”.

But he reinforced that the machines are not a magic bullet that could totally clear up the problem, stating teams would often clean a street only to find it fouled again the following day.