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The number of dog poo littering acts has risen by 200% since lockdown

“There's more poo than people on the streets of the UK right now".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 17th February 2021
Geograph / P L Chadwick

Newly-released statistics have revealed that the number of dog poo littering acts has risen by a whopping 200% since the start of the first lockdown.

Walking the dog has become one of the few opportunities awarded to us amid ongoing restrictions and has provided Brits with the chance to get outside for some fresh air during lockdown, but this has apparently come at a stinky and germ-ridden cost according to one rubbish collection company.

Divert.co.uk – who provide dog poo litter removal for councils and private landowners in the UK – has confirmed that dog poo litter is up 200%.

And just as bad are those who bag the poo, and then dump the bag in the street or up a tree.

The company is alarmed by this sharp increase, has branded it a clear indicator that not all dog owners are cleaning up after their pups, and has warned of the implications that this could have for public health, as well as calling on irresponsible owners to pick up after their dogs.

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“It is disgusting to see that some dog owners are failing to pick up after their pets, when it’s an offence and the waste can lead to serious illnesses,” says Divert.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall.

“There is more poo than people on the streets of the UK right now.”

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Pixabay / Geograph

He continued: “Walking your dog is important for both pet and owner for exercise, especially while we are all house-bound during the lockdown [but] unfortunately, thanks to the thoughtless behaviour by a few individuals, dog owners are once again getting a bad reputation due to a massive increase in dog mess on the streets.”

The company believes that due to fewer people being out and about, irresponsible dog owners are probably thinking they are less likely to get caught, and are therefore more likely to leave the poo and run.

Thankfully though, not all dog owners will leave poo on the pavement, as waste campaigners Keep Britain Tidy – who has run high profile campaigns such as the ‘dog poo fairy’ – have found that 9 out of 10 dog owners do regularly clean up after their dog.

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The 10% who do not clean up after their dog could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100 for failing to pick up their dog’s waste.

This could rise up to £1,000 if the issue goes to court.

“There really is no excuse for this behaviour, especially as the waste can be put into any public bin,” Mark Hall continues.

“It’s lockdown laziness, especially those guys who bag the mess, then don’t bin the bag.

“We understand, it’s cold and we’ve had some snow recently, but thinking it’s quiet enough to get away with leaving it is no excuse not to pick up after your dog. The snow will eventually melt away, but your dog’s frozen turd will still be there for some poor bugger to step in.”

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What punishment could Manchester City face for FFP breaches?

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester City punishment options

With the news of their numerous breaches of Financial Fair Play, the question on everyone’s mind now is what punishment could Manchester City face if found guilty?

The reigning champions were charged with more than 100 breaches of FFP regulations on Monday following the conclusion of a four-year investigation by the English top flight.

Despite the club denying the allegations as they did with the previous UEFA sanctions, eventually having their two-year ban overturned and the fine reduced by two-thirds, they cannot appeal the decision through the same means as last time and it looks increasingly likely that at least some charges will stick.

That being said, there a numerous steps that the Premier League, FA and other governing football bodies could take next if they are found guilty of even a portion of the offences.

Here are some possible options being suggested at present:

What action could be taken against Manchester City?

1. Fines

The first and most obvious ramification for their alleged financial infractions is a simple fine: typically the most common outcome whenever clubs find themselves in hot water when it comes to rule breaches.

When they were alleged to have gone beyond UEFA’s FFP regulations back in February 2020, they were initially slapped with a £30 million fine before it was eventually reduced to £10m not long after.

However, given the length and severity of this latest raft of accusations — at least a century of offences for nearly a decade — any penalt(ies) would likely result in a much more considerable total sum or even compensation paid to other clubs.

2. Points deduction

One of the most popular suggestions thus far is that City should suffer a points deduction in the current 2022/23 season, not unlike the action recently taken against Juventus for also failing to declare the full truth about the nature of their finances.

The Italian giants were docked 15 points for “false accounting” and could even face a further 20-point bombshell for “undeclared wage payments” to players and other members of staff thought to date back to at least March 2020.

City are accused of similar during Roberto Mancini’s tenure, the man who helped them lift their first Premier League title, as well as with members of their squad in at least two seasons, including as recently as the 2015/16 campaign.

Once again, the supposed offences committed at the Etihad are said to date from 2009 to at least 2018, when the club “stopped cooperating” with the inquiry. If the independent commission find evidence to punish for this period and perhaps beyond, it’s hard to say if points alone would be sufficient enough.

3. Stripped of titles

Alternatively, another possibility is that the now six-time Premier League winners could be stripped of every single one of their titles since their 2008 takeover, meaning the narrative of the last few years would look very different indeed:

While obviously a more severe choice, it is perfectly plausible — especially when considering Juventus once again, who were also hit with this punishment back in 2006 after the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal which saw them stripped of their previous two titles due to match-fixing, pressuring officials and more.

Given that the charges lobbied against City are strictly related to the Premier League, it would be unlikely that any of their other trophies won over the nine-year period in question would be rescinded, but you never know; the inquiry could spark further investigation.

4. Relegation/expulsion from the Premier League

While many have mooted that they feel the Blues should be issued with a ban from the competition — the length of which could be significant given the prolonged offending period and for football fans to make peace with potentially 9-14 years of financial wrongdoings.

However, circling back to the Juventus example once more, the ‘Old Lady’ was also relegated to Serie B (the Italian second division) for the first time in their history after Calciopoli. If that was the judgement for two years of breaches, what sort of punishment would fit City after nearly a decade, maybe more?

Keeping that in mind, it has also been suggested that the club could be expelled from the league. Though a permanent expulsion would be extremely improbable, with this course of action by far the most brutal, the problem again is deciding how long to expel/suspend them and whether to do so immediately or for the following season(s). Again, this is the most unlikely outcome of them all.

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While this list is obviously not exhaustive, Sky Sports shared a graphic on social media the various steps the commission could seek as Manchester City’s punishment.

Moreover, as alluded to earlier, City cannot appeal CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) like they did last time according the current Premier League regulations. This means that, in theory, whatever the commission finds and the league ultimately says goes.

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You can see the full list of charges levelled against Manchester City HERE.

What punishment do you think would be suitable for Manchester City’s litany of FFP breaches?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Manchester City

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Aldi launches new ‘magic bags’ with £10 worth of food for just £3.30

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Aldi has teamed up with the world’s largest surplus food platform to offer ‘Magic Bags’ for just £3.30 at hundreds of its stores.

In a bid to tackle food waste while also offering even lower prices to customers, and following on from what was considered to have been a “successful” trial last year, the UK’s leading budget supermarket has teamed up with Too Good To Go to offer surplus food bags across all of its 990 stores right across the country.

The ‘Magic Bags’ will be packed full of a wide range of grocery products that are approaching their sell-by or use-by dates at less than a third of the price.

They’ll set you back just £3.30 each for what is at least £10 worth of food.

As well as Aldi helping shoppers during the cost of living crisis, by working with Too Good To Go, the supermarket chain is helping to spread awareness about food waste and promote the different ways to reduce it.

Aldi launches new ‘magic bags’ with £10 worth of food for just £3.30 / Credit: Too Good To Go

The nationwide rollout of the ‘Magic Bag’ scheme is expected to save a further 4,000 tonnes of food from going to waste every year.

To get a Magic Bag, all shoppers need to do is download the free Too Good To Go app and search for their nearby Aldi store, before reserving a bag to collect from the store at an allotted time.

“Rolling out our partnership with Too Good To Go is another way of allowing us to cut down on food waste, while also offering customers the opportunity to pick up our food at even lower prices,” explained Liz Fox – Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK.

“With the rising cost of living impacting so many, Too Good To Go offers a simple and accessible way for consumers to save money and reduce waste.”

The scheme is expected to save a further 4,000 tonnes of food from going to waste every year / Credit: Aldi

Sophie Trueman, Managing Director of Too Good To Go, added that the company is “thrilled” to be partnering with Aldi, adding: “Having already had fantastic feedback during a successful trial period, I know our Too Good To Go community is going to jump at the chance to save Magic Bags from their local Aldi and prevent even more good food from going to waste.”

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On top of the new ‘Magic Bag’ scheme, all of Aldi’s UK stores will continue to donate surplus food to local causes 365 days of the year through its partnership with Neighbourly.

Aldi has been widely praised by shoppers on social media since announcing the scheme.

Featured Image – Aldi UK

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