Verdict Of The Week (3)
On the thoroughfares near Blogger Towers we have poles with lights on top. In the days before austerity the lights used to come on just before dusk and would be extinguished shortly after dawn. Nowadays they seem to come on when it is light and go off halfway through the night, rendering them of little use to the carousing pedestrian.
But they are of use to beast, or at least dogs, serving as a handy upright against which they can cock a leg and unleash a stream of steaming urine. And they can continue this practice, thanks to a judgment handed down by the High Court, I read this week.
Richmond Council were seeking to impose a ban on dogs peeing on lamp posts and against properties and generally causing a nuisance to honest, law abiding citizens. Any hound found to be in breach would lead their owner to have a visit to the beak. This not unreasonable restriction was challenged by a group of dog walkers in the area and the court ruled that the intended Public Spaces Protection Order was a step too far.
So, there we have it, dogs are free to cock a snook at all and sundry.
A word of warning though – the right does not extend to humans. If you are caught short, you will still have to find a phone box.
I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a market and the sound of the costermongers shouting their wares. But Lymington and Pennington Town Council have caused a public outcry by slapping a ban on a fruit and veg stall-holder because his voice is too loud.
His name? Wayne Bellows, of course.
You couldn’t make it up!
