Ipswich man concerns over dog poo in Newbury Road Park

Andy King, 42, takes his dog Lily for a walk every evening and alternates between Newbury Road Recreational Ground and Rushmere Commons.

However, he noticed that recently the beagle would be sick often when they went for a walk at Newbury Road park.

Mr King said: "I began noticing this pattern, the morning after we came back from Newbury dog park, Lily would be throwing up. 

"I could not understand why, but took Lily to the vet hoping they would have some answers."

Mr King noticed that after taking his dog to the Newbury dog park she would always be sick (Image: Shikhar Talwar)

The vet told Mr King that Lily was sick due to eating faeces and that any more and the beagle could get seriously ill.

The 42-year-old then went to the park himself to look around for himself. 

"I noticed little bits of dog poo everywhere," he said.

"People were cleaning up the poo but not properly and some of it was left on the grass and leaves."

He said when he used the park, he would generally let his beagle run around by herself for a few minutes "as she cannot get that opportunity at home".

This is when Mr King suspects that Lily may have been licking something that got her ill. 

He said: "When I noticed this I was furious. I am never bringing my dog back here again."

Mr King noted that the faeces would not be completely left on the floor but be stuck to grass or leaves (Image: Shikhar Talwar)

On talking to his neighbours, he realised that a few other dog owners had also had the same problem, opting to walk on Rushmere Commons for their dog walk. 

Mr King hopes that Ipswich Borough Council will do more to enforce cleaner parks, adding that even having the occasional officer would help. 

Currently, the borough council says that any form of dog fouling is a criminal offence which can yield a fine of up to £1,000. 

The council said that owners must carry their own bags and the council have officers who patrol areas and can hand fines themselves.