BROKEN glass bottles at a beauty spot in Chard have injured a dog and left its owner with a hefty vet’s bill.

Alsatian Goofie, who belongs to Brian Gerrard, 74, of Coronation Street, Chard, yelped with pain after running through shards of glass at Snowden Hill.

The incident left two-and-half-year-old Goofie in bandages for ten days and Brian, who is retired, out of pocket by £190.

He said: “I am not a vindictive person but in this case I would make an exception. I would like to find the perpetrator, make him or her take their socks and shoes off and run in the grass where my dog cut her paw – they would soon learn the errors of their ways.

“It is criminal to smash bottles where people and animals walk – it is a family area and if children sit down on the glass they could cut themselves.

“She [Goofie] cannot go out or walk at the moment, so it’s hard for her because she is young and quite hyperactive.”

Brian, who regularly walks Goofie on Snowden Hill, said he would like to see a waste bin placed on the hill so people can dispose of their glass bottles.

Chard & Ilminster News:

Goofie nurses her bandaged hind leg.

Goofie, who is expected to make a full recovery, needed to have her paw sewn up at the vet’s.

He said: “Parents should be highlighting to their children the dangers of doing this – it is a stupid thing to do.”

South Somerset District Council said placing additional bins ‘would not make a big difference’ as it believed people were smashing the bottles rather than dropping them.

Chard beat manager Paul Thomas said police thought younger people were smashing bottles and that patrols in the area would be increased.

He added: “We would always encourage people to dispose of their litter and glass bottles safely, so people and animals do not hurt themselves on the waste.

“People who see any anti-social behaviour should call us so we are aware of a problem.”