Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon and Gwynedd Council’s Street Enforcement Team have recently joined forces to tackle the problem of dogs on the club’s rugby grounds.

This comes following a number of recent cases of people with dogs being asked to leave officially designated sports areas.

An exclusion order prevents dog owners from taking their pets onto all children’s playgrounds and sports pitches in Gwynedd. However, some owners in Caernarfon have been choosing to ignore the ‘No dogs’ warning signs and are taking dogs onto areas where rugby is played.

Ann Hopcyn, Secretary of Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon said: “It’s really frustrating that we have to confront people who ignore the signs. Dog mess poses real health risks to the players, especially our younger members who train here regularly.

“12 of our 15 teams are at junior level, so that’s 250 children from Caernarfon and the locality who train and play on these pitches regularly. We would appreciate the cooperation of dog owners to ensure the safety of all players.”

Councillor John Wynn Jones, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Environment, noted: “It is very disappointing to hear that a careless minority of dog owners are deliberately ignoring the Council’s Dog Control Orders. If they allow their pets onto exclusion areas it is clear that they have little regard for the health and welfare of others. The Council will be stepping up its enforcement presence at the club over the coming weeks.”

The most important reason why dogs are excluded from certain designated sites is due to the presence of roundworm parasites in dog mess which can be very harmful to people, especially children. Toxocariasis is a disease caused when the eggs of toxocara canis worms are transferred from dogs to humans through infected dog mess, or soil where dogs are present, and can lead to illness and even blindness.

The public can help by reporting those responsible to Gwynedd Council’s Street Enforcement Team confidentially on 01766 771000, or by visiting the Council’s ‘Report a Problem’ page on the website: www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru