THE abuse of waste bins in the town was a hot topic at Okehampton Town Council's parks committee meeting on Monday.

Councillors discussed the increasing habit of people using the bins in Simmons Park for their household waste.

Park keeper David Whitfield said: 'It has been going on some time. Members of the public have been bringing carrier bags of their domestic waste to the bins. Among some of the rubbish, we have found proof of address and we have sent out letters to those doing it asking them to not do it again.

'As we stop one person doing it, another starts using our park facilities to dispose of domestic waste. That is not what these bins are for.

'Most of the people doing it are very cute at hiding their address and information, because they know they shouldn't be doing it. We have somewhere in the region of 12 to 14 people we have actually caught doing it.'

The bins in the entrance to the park at Mill Road are among those used most regularly by those dumping their household waste. Cllr Kevin Ball described this use of the public bins as 'outrageous'.

The council agreed to put up signs telling people not to use these public bins for their household waste, and will continue to send warning letters to those they identify doing so.

The issue of dog mess was also once again raised at the meeting, with a request for a new dog waste bin on a popular public walkway.

Mr Robert Flexman, who in the past has been recognised with an Okehampton Mayor Award for his tireless efforts to rid the town of litter, attended the meeting to request that councillors put a second dog bin at the top of Fatherford Road, opposite the entrance to the Okehampton Community Garden.

Mr Flexman said: 'The issue is of great concern to people in the town. We need a second bin, or a bigger bin where the current one is standing. I have sent pictures to the council in the past of these bins overflowing.

'I have also raised the issue of people putting large carrier bags of dog waste from their gardens in this bin, filling it right up. It needs publicising that people can put dog waste in normal refuse bins if it is bagged properly.'

Cllr Maureen McDonald, who lives near the dog bin in question, said: 'I think the request for a double bin or a bigger one is a fair one. Mr Flexman is absolutely right, people put carrier bags of waste from their garden in this bin and it fills it up very quickly.'

Town mayor Cllr the Rev Mike Davies said: 'The walk up to the community garden is a popular walkway for everyone, not just for dog walkers, and we want to do what we can to encourage people to keep it clean for the people who enjoy it.'

The council's parks committee agreed to find out exactly how frequently the dog bin is emptied, and either make a request for the bin to be emptied more frequently, or put a second bin on the site.