Locals horrified over 'disgusting' poo problem at Aussie beach
A couple disgusted with dog poo being left on their local Gold Coast beach are pleading with council to do something about it.
Paula and Chris thought they were swapping busy Brisbane life for an idyllic seaside lifestyle when they relocated to the Gold Coast in October.
But for the last four months they’ve been hit with a daily problem that’s left a stench up their noses.
“I am disgusted at the excessive amount of dog poo and full dog poo bags left on our beaches and walkways in Bilinga,” Chris told Yahoo News Australia.
“This is paradise here, it’s absolutely beautiful and they’re just crapping all over it,” Paula added.
Man caught throwing poo into ocean
For the couple who live right access from the beach, it’s a “disgusting” issue they can’t ignore.
“A week ago I was walking along the walkway to the beach and there was this girl with a poodle and the dog started to defecate in the sand,” Chris said. “Then she just flicked some sand over it with a foot and walked off. I said to her, ‘excuse me did your dog just s*** there?’ She said, ‘oh yeah it’s got the runs, have a lovely day,’ and just walked off.”
Chris says he’s also seen a man scoop up his dog’s mess in his hand with sand underneath it and then throw it into the ocean. They say ever since they moved to the area, a pile of used dog poo bags has been building up on the walkway.
“There’s about six black bags of dog poo that have been sitting there,” he said. “I’ve phoned the council about it, to come collect them [but] they’re still there. The council isn’t interested.”
Couple hound council for action
While Paula and Chris, who are not dog owners themselves, blame lazy dog owners who fail to walk the extra few steps off the beach to put their dog’s poo in the bin, they say they’ve called council on numerous occasions but haven’t got anywhere.
“When we've rung up the council to say this is an issue, they said they actually have to catch somebody in the act,” Paula said. “We can't even send a photo of it or a video, it has to be a council worker actually witnessing it happen for them to be fined.”
But the pair aren’t giving up and have been using Council’s app to report the incident as ‘illegal dumping’ every day for the last two weeks with three photos attached to each submission.
“They promote the Gold Coast as pristine and they want tourism, but if you have to dodge dog poo to get onto the beach, it's pretty disgusting,” Paula said.
Under Gold Coast Council laws, “dog waste must be disposed of appropriately". A City of Gold Coast spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia on Friday there are hundreds of signs across the city informing residents of their obligation to pick up after their animals.
"When residents report problem areas we increase our patrols in these areas, including Bilinga where we have recently had an increased presence in response to a number of complaints," the spokesperson said. "While we take an educational approach to this issue, owners can be fined $71 for not picking up after their animal or carrying a suitable bag."
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