PEOPLE allowing their dogs to foul Alton Cemetery without cleaning up after them could end up with a £25 fine.
Garden Services contractor Bob Swansborough now has official jurisdiction to issue on-the-spot fixed penalty tickets to anyone whose dog is seen fouling the site and walking away.
According to East Hampshire District Council cemeteries officer Lyn Hayler, dog fouling is prohibited on cemetery land but, despite notices to that effect, regular visitors to the Alton graveyard have still singled it out as one of their biggest concerns.
At a meeting held last week at St Lawrence Church hall to discuss ideas for improving cemetery services, the issue of dog dirt came top of the agenda.
While it was felt that the foot-and-mouth crisis had forced more dog owners to look for alternative walking places for their animals, it seems that some have failed to respect the right of visitors and those working on the site to walk in the cemetery without having to avoid piles of excrement.
Another concern was for young people playing and cycling in the burial ground with little respect for mourners or those who wish to sit in peaceful reflection by the graves of those they have lost.
"Not only can it be intimidating to have a crowd of young people larking about but it is not a place they should be hanging about in. If anything happens, if damage occurs, they are bound to be the first to have the finger pointed at them," said Lyn Hayler who warned that the cemetery is subject to regular police checks and that both they, and the contractor, will move young people on.
While there are notices up prohibiting ball games and cycling, concerns were expressed also about the amount of rubbish which is picked up, particularly in the older part of the cemetery, flanked by Spitalfields Road. "Broken glass is especially dangerous when thrown up by machinery," points out Ms Hayler.
The other major issue raised at the meeting was said to concern the use of paraphernalia, such as plastic fences and stones, used to personalise plots, particularly in the cremated remains area, but which do not comply with cemetery guidelines.
While concerned that the installation of some memorial items could set a precedent, Ms Hayler pointed out that it was impossible to monitor and patrol the area 24 hours a day, seven days a week when there were five cemeteries in the district to care for. Customer guidelines were sent to the next of kin within three to four weeks of a burial and it was hoped that people would stick to them.
"I know this is a sensitive issue and we will try to address it, but we don't have the names and addresses of all next of kin so it is going to be difficult. We don't want to be too heavy handed," she said.
On the issue of dog fouling and children playing in the cemetery and leaving litter the officers will not tread so lightly.
They hope that the issuing of fixed penalties and a regular police presence will help to bring any potential offenders in line, making Alton Cemetery a more pleasant place for people to visit those now resting in peace.