Seaham fencing replaced after panels go missing following councils crackdown on dog-fouling at Wembley Fields

At the beginning of this year, some issues were raised after local dog walkers were walking their dogs on the Wembley Fields. Locals attended a council meeting after reports of dogs fouling on the field and causing problems for others who use it.

Originally, to solve the issue, the council’s proposal was to fence off the whole area but instead agreed to just fence off part of the area.

Eve Richardson, a member of a local dog walking club in Seaham, chose to speak to the council about this proposal as she believed it was unnecessary to fence off the whole area.

With others in the club, she put together a survey on the proposal and over 400 people voted. Around 85% of those wanted the fencing in place but only 15% wanted it to be in place around the whole area.

Eve said: “The council agreed with the response and the fencing was only put round one section which has worked brilliantly for everyone who uses the field since and protected the majority of the field.

“They have also added more bins for dog walkers to use.”

On Monday, October 14, Eve spotted that four panels of the fence were gone.

She said: “I rang the council when I saw what had happened because at first I thought they had removed them but I soon realised they must have been taken.

“It’s such a shame because the council tried really hard and the fences had solved the issue. What has happened is just disgusting.”

The panels have now been replaced by the council and the fencing is continuing to solve the problems on the field.

A spokesperson for Seaham Town Council said: “We were made aware of the problem and within 24 hours we had the fencing panels replaced.

“We’re pleased with the fence because it is preventing dogs fouling on the sports field and this is just a minor set back for us.”