WAYS to crack down on irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to foul in Simmons Park are being looked at by Okehampton Town Council.

Members expressed concern at a recent park committee meeting which highlighted the increased amount of dog mess in the town, particularly in the park.

Cllr Tony Leech said owners need to be more responsible: 'There needs to be some sort of dog control audit, like the number of dogs people can take out.

'The audit would give us more leeway on how to control the problem. We could do with a dog warden to hand out fines and the only real solution is for us to employ our own.'

Cllr Kay Bickley, said she believed education was the way forward: 'Only the police have the ability to arrest someone. It's about the community working together to tackle the problem.'

The council will write to Okehampton Police, raising the issue.