Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, has urged local dog walkers to exercise caution following reports of dogs being ‘poisoned’ in a number of areas across Leicestershire.
Mr Costa has said that several of his constituents had contacted his office to report instances of potential dog poisoning in the Devitt Way area of Broughton Astley, the Redrow Estate in Countesthorpe and Fosse Meadows Country Park near Frolesworth – this comes after some walkers also reported their dogs becoming ill after ingesting objects at Clarendon Park in Hinckley and Watermead Park a few weeks ago.
Mr Costa said, “Reports of dog poisoning are always deeply concerning and of course, incredibly worrying to dog owners and walkers. My office has been contacted by a number of constituents in recent days with cases of their dogs being violently sick after being walked in open spaces in several villages both in South Leicestershire and the wider county. As such, I would really urge owners to be extra careful when walking with their dogs and to report any suspicious instances to their local authority’s Environmental Health Team”.
Mr Costa added, “My office will be contacting Leicestershire Police to alert them to these reports and to ask that they are investigate accordingly. If dogs are indeed being poisoned then I sincerely hope the offender(s) are caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law; these are callous and abhorrent crimes with the sole intention of harming defenceless animals and beloved family pets and therefore, I would reiterate my call to dog walkers to be especially careful over the next few weeks”.