DOG owners are being urged to clean up after their dogs, following complaints from an Okehampton resident about the state of public footpaths around the town.

The concerns were raised at a town council meeting last week by Broadlands resident Robert Flexman, who said some public footpaths around the town were 'impassible' because of the mess.

He said: 'Okehampton is one of the nicest places I know for walks.

'I have friends who live all over Devon, and none of them are as fortunate as we are to have not only the moor, but also the footpaths around it. However, these paths are being thoroughly spoilt by dog mess.

'The main area that concerns me — although I realise there are other hotspots all over the town — is Ball Lane.

'Practically speaking, the lane is impassable if I want to go for a walk there with my grandson.'

Cllr Christine Marsh, chair of the town council's parks committee, agreed that fouling was an issue, but said there were many issues to overcome in tackling the problem.

'The owners of the land have to agree to the bins being put there. Also, we have the issue of the bins being emptied. The people who empty the bins will not walk more than a certain distance to get to a bin if there is no vehicular access.

'We also have a major issue surrounding the disposal of the waste. As a town council we are not licensed to dispose of this waste. West Devon Borough Council are the ones licensed to dispose of it.'

Cllr Antony Leech added that perhaps the greatest difficulty to overcome in tackling dog fouling was the attitude of some dog owners.

'This issue has been going on for many, many years. We have tried all sorts of different approaches, including placing extra bins.

'The dog warden came and sprayed the piles bright yellow to highlight the problem to people.

'Those who use the dog bins are the good dog owners, and those people are the ones who, if they cannot find a dog bin to put the bag in, will carry the bag home with them.

'The problem is the people who are not good dog owners, the people who simply do not bother to clear up after their dog.

'We are with you, we want to see something done about this issue, but what we can do to educate these people is the challenge here.

'We could have a bin every 50 metres in the town, but there would still be dog mess on the paths because people need educating.'

Cllr Kay Bickley said: 'I think what we really need is a campaign. Education is the key to this: it's about changing behaviour.

'We need to work together with all of the relevant agencies on a concerted campaign for this town, highlighting the areas that are a problem.'

The town council agreed to raise the issue at the next liaison meeting with West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council, and to propose a publicity campaign for Okehampton.

Failing to pick up mess after your dog is an offence, and local authorities can enforce a Dog Control Order, the maximum penalty for which is £1,000.

Councillors said that with ten dog bins around the town, there really was no excuse for dog owners not to clear up after their pets.