Ross Town Councillor Craig Morgan has said he is determined to crack down on the dog fouling problem in Ross by recruiting more Community Dog Wardens to the scheme.

He told the Gazette: "I became a Community Dog Warden and now I want others to follow suit."Last week the Headteacher of Brampton Abbotts Primary School, Dan Brearey, met another of Ross' Community Dog Wardens, Councillor Richard Mayo, in order to raise awareness of the dog waste problems on the paths to the school.

This week Ross has had two early morning visits from the Community Protection Team, who can issue fines of £80 to dog walkers who allow their dogs to foul on footpaths.

Councillor Mayo said: "This week I have patrolled the area in the evening and although we saw dog walkers, none were seen fouling. The dog walkers I stopped to chat about the issue had bags with them for clearing up."

Cllr Morgan said: "We are not going to get any more Council Dog Wardens and their time is so precious when we do have them. In the areas where we have had Wardens, in the last couple of years, we have seen great results and fines issued to irresponsible dog owners.

"The trouble is the problem persists in the areas where we don't have the volunteers. Volunteering is simple. You do not need to approach anyone if you don't want to, you can simply be the 'eyes and ears' of the Council Dog Wardens, anonymously feeding them information on where to be and when to help them catch the irresponsible dog owners."

"You can take a more pro-active role where your eye witness statement is enough to issue the fine. This has seen great results and on my early morning and late night patrols.

"We are making an impact, but it is slower progress than any of us would like and that's why I would urge any one who wants to help in any small way to get in touch."

Both Councillors stressed the need for specific information to be reported.Cllr Mayo said: "What we really need when reporting instances of dog fouling are descriptions, times, and locations."

To contact Cllr Mayo in confidence email him at [email protected]">[email protected]. Cllr Craig Morgan can be contacted on 07931191027.

For more stories in full please see this week's Ross Gazette.