Angus Council has seen a marked reduction in the number of complaints about dog fouling after increased efforts to tackle the problem by community wardens.
Complaints have fallen from 82 in January 2013 to 74 in January 2014 and 40 in January this year more than halving over the 24-month period.
The local authority credits the creation of its Pride in Place member officer group to address the issue as the reason for the improvement.
It has carried out pitch clean-ups on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings; put stickers on litter bins saying they could be used for dog waste; leafleted regarding responsible dog ownership; and conducted a review of the location of public bins in Angus.
Cleansing workers have targeted the worst areas, with proactive patrols undertaken and more fixed penalty notices issued by community wardens.
A member of staff dedicated to collecting waste picked up 22,500 dog faeces across Angus last year, as well as 460 bags of faeces and more than 940 pieces of litter.
In a report to councillors, service manager Bob Myles said: “There are still issues which will impact the effectiveness of any plan put in place to combat irresponsible dog owners and the resultant fouling throughout Angus.
“The dog wardens’ time continues to be occupied with the management of stray dogs in Angus, leaving little time for preventative work.
“Key areas to be tackled are network paths and green spaces, where issues are still being reported. This reflects a change in complaint profile from within more urban areas.
“A strategy to tackle this will require to be developed in the coming year.
“Social media provides a platform for the community to put forward their concerns about dog fouling. Cognisance is taken of these discussions and relevant information is fed into the analysis process.”
During 2014 community wardens issued 98 fixed penalty notices in relation to dog fouling. Of those, 29 were issued in Arbroath, 24 in Montrose, 12 in Monifieth, 10 in Forfar, nine in Carnoustie, eight in Kirriemuir and six in Brechin. Four people were reported to the procurator fiscal.