MORE needs to be done to make dog walkers think twice about not picking up their pet’s waste, says a Trowbridge councillor.

Cllr Edward Kirk and five other helpers went round the Seymour Estate and picked up a total of 102 bags of dog waste, over an hour or two, that was on the pavement, the road, the park and even in the children’s play area.

He says that the £75 fine that dog wardens can issue to people who are not cleaning up after their dog, is not being enforced properly, but if it is, it could have a hugely positive impact.

“Whether it is a £75 fine or a £1,000 fine, it doesn’t matter if it is not enforced properly,” he said.

“People need to realise that this is just totally unacceptable. We went around the park, the play area and the streets in the estate and we were shocked and very concerned about the scale of the problem.

“It is particularly disgusting to have it by the play area where children go. This concerns me greatly as it also represents a health risk to children. It is hard because you have to catch them in the act and it happens a lot at night too.

“We did see many responsible dog owners whilst out, so it is probably a small minority who are not.”

Cllr Kirk is meeting with a Wiltshire Council dog warden next week to discuss the issue and to ask how they can progress this.

“We have now recruited a number of dog owners and residents who will report irresponsible owners, and I am going to push for Council enforcement measures in the areas concerned,” he said.

“Unfortunately it is only through prosecution that I believe some dog owner’s attitude will be changed.

“I think, like with traffic wardens, there just aren’t enough dog wardens to catch people. I will speak to the dog warden and talk about this issue.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We would encourage all dog owners to be responsible and pick up after their dogs.

“We welcome community involvement in encouraging people to pick up after their dog and we can also put up further signage and increase patrols in the area as a deterrent and to increase the chance of officers catching those responsible.

“We’d be happy to meet up with Cllr Kirk and discuss further action to deter irresponsible dog owners in the area.”