Dogs fouling the streets in Surrey village to be targeted by CCTV operators

Horrified reactions to the news that people who allow their animals to foul the street will be watched for by CCTV operators.

Surrey Police's action has been described as a "waste of time and money" by civil liberties groups and residents.

I'm not sure if Amiee Langdon would agree. The Greater Manchester two year old caught a rare infection, toxocariasis after wiping dog excrement in her eye in a playground.

Toxocariasis is spread by dog excrement. It results in optical lobe cellulosis, a potentially deadly infection that can spread to the brain and lead to blindness and even death if not treated within 72 hours.

At one point, doctors thought her eye would have to be removed, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Still think cracking down on dog excrement is a waste of time and money?

One village and its cameras:

The dog mess spotting is occuring in the village of Merstham.

Student Sarah Nicholls told the Daily Mail: "We have people being burgled and assaulted around here.

"They can't watch burglars and dog-walkers at the same time. And even if they see something happening, are they going to send a squad car out to deal with it?"

I'm not sure why operators are unable to watch for burglars and dog foulers at the same time. It's not as if we have one operator watching for each type of crime.

Merstham has had a 20% rise in violent crime, but this isn't an argument not to watch dog foulers.

Consider the broken windows theory. People who live in a decent environment are more likely to care about their neighbourhood and more likely to obey the law. People who live in a dog-mess strewn dump won't care.

And as for CCTV, I understand the privacy concerns. I understand that Britain has a ridiculous number of CCTV cameras.

CCTV is not a perfect crime fighting tool. It is only useful in deterring people and identifying people after a crime.

However, it did catch cat dumper Mary Bale and Weeing Wendy Lewis.

Merstham Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Hannah Vincent told Surrey Today: "Dog fouling in Merstham is a real concern for residents and an issue that, together with our partners, we are committed to tackling.

"We will speak with anyone caught not clearing up after their dog, and will not hesitate to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to persistent offenders.

"CCTV will be able to help us with this task. However, I would ask members of the Merstham community to work with us. Together we can ensure the area is a safe and pleasant place to live."

I agree. It's the same as with speeding drivers. If you don't want to be prosecuted, clean up after your dog or cat.

Otherwise we might end up with more children suffering like Amiee Langdon.