FREQUENT complaints by villagers about the increase in the amount of dog excrement in Bere Alston have sparked a dog awareness campaign, to be carried out by Bere Ferrers Parish Council.

The council hopes to encourage those dog owners who do not pick up their dog's mess to do so and dispose of it responsibly.

A council spokesman said that as well as being unsightly and smelly, dog fouling had serious consequences, as dog faeces could harbour Toxicara, which could cause blindness in young children.

He said: 'The vast majority of dog owners in Bere Alston do clean up after their pets. However, it only takes a few irresponsible people and their dogs to turn roads, verges, the school, the Recreation Field and the various children's play areas into no-go areas for everyone else.

'Many people do not realise that within the 30mph limit and in public areas outside this it is illegal not to pick up your dog's mess. It is also illegal to allow a dog to roam in public places without someone there to control it. Any dog found roaming could be reported to the Environmental Health department of West Devon Borough Council, who will arrange for it to be rounded up and impounded.'

Bere Alston has a dog exercise field, with a suitable excrement container, on the outskirts of the village on the Bere Ferrers road.

Posters are in prominent positions around the village to remind people about the danger and leaflets are available in local shops with the 'Dos and Don'ts' of walking a dog.

Dog owners are also being asked to make sure their children understand about collecting the dog's excrement if they take it for a walk.