Pet owners in Clackmannanshire have taken the lead in combating dog poo.
The public have been thanked for their support of the council’s Dog Watch campaign against dog fouling.
When the campaign started last month, the local authority asked members of the public to help the council by reporting offences, displaying posters, and even by demonstrating zero tolerance of this type of anti-social behaviour by speaking to dog owners and encouraging them to behave responsibly.
And the community appear to have taken the message to heart.
Clackmannanshire’s enterprise and environment convener Donald Ballsillie said: “We’ve had a really positive response from the community and received some really good intelligence about the culprits, which has helped the council issue three fixed penalty notices.”
He said that all the information received by the council was investigated.
“We have invested significant resources into this campaign and seen a marked improvement in the reduction of dog fouling on the streets of Clackmannan.
“For this improvement to be sustained, we need the community’s continued support.”
The council fears that one of the main reasons that dog owners don’t clear up after their pets is because they think there is not a council officer watching.
They feel that if the message gets out that the general public can take direct action to report offences, dog owners are far more likely to behave responsibly.
The council is offering support, targeting areas where there are the greatest number of complaints, with patrols by community wardens and the animal welfare officer.
Prominent Dog Watch signs have been erected on lamp posts around Clackmannan, flyers and posters have been placed in local shops and businesses, and letters have been sent to local residents appealing for their support.
Dog Watch chalk stencils have also been placed on pavements in problem areas.
Mr Balsillie, added: “The council receives a lot of complaints about dog fouling and we know that people find it disgusting. In order for this campaign to work, we need local people to support and join us in the fight for cleaner streets local people are our biggest asset in helping address this issue.
“If we have enough evidence, our officers will issue a fixed penalty notice.”
He said the local authority has provided nearly 300 dog fouling bins across the council area. In addition, dog fouling bags are available free from council offices, CAPs, libraries, the animal welfare officer and community wardens, with almost two million issued by the council each year.
Clackmannan Health Centre has also recently agreed to stock dog fouling bags.