Community wardens on street patrol in Angus are to be given new powers to dish out fines for dog fouling.
The transfer of primary responsibility for monitoring and enforcing dog fouling issues follows a best value review of warden services and will start on April 1 after being approved by councillors.
The dog warden service is responsible for issuing fixed penalty notices for fouling but was reduced to a single member of staff as part of the 2010-11 budget setting process.
Figures released by Angus Council, following a freedom of information request by The Courier, revealed only eight fixed penalty notices were given out for dog fouling in the county last year up from just three in 2009 and down from nine in 2008.
The figures are extremely low when compared to the scale of the dog mess problem in Angus.
Carnoustie councillor Helen Oswald said, “It’s very sad that dog fouling is such a major part of the complaints that we get as councillors.”
Last year dog mess overshadowed residents’ fears over major issues including drug abuse, vandalism and anti-social youths in findings from a community survey.
When all 12 wardens are available four will be deployed in Arbroath, two in Montrose, two in Forfar, two in Brechin/Kirriemuir and two in Carnoustie/Monifieth. The shifts of the community wardens are being revised to include an early-morning shift to help deal with dog fouling.
Montrose councillor David May said he was delighted with the report because it means the wardens will be distributed across the whole of Angus “much more fairly”.
“As a consequence all of them will be able to take a role in tackling dog fouling and I would certainly like to see people being targeted who have been irresponsible,” he said.
“The vast majority of dog owners are very responsible and they clear up after their dogs. It’s just a small number that are a problem and the more that can be done across the whole of Angus the better.”