A SOUTH Zeal resident has raised concerns over the ongoing problem of dog fouling in the parish, after she slid on dog mess and injured her collar bone.

Ursula Radford, who had to seek medical assistance at Okehampton Hospital after the fall, is writing to the parish council because she said at this time of year, the problem of dog mess was an even bigger hazard to children and the elderly because of the rain and fallen leaves.

Mrs Radford, 70, was walking through the main street, opposite the Kings Arms, when the accident occurred.

?It was wet which did not help and I had just mounted the pavement ? the next thing I knew I was on the ground,? she said. ?I was looking ahead to see where I was going and not what was under my feet.

?The fall really immobilised me but I am more concerned about people older than me who could really do themselves harm or children ? dog mess is not only dangerous if you slip on it but it is also a health hazard.?

Mrs Radford said despite warning signs going up in the parish, there were still a few irresponsible dog owners who did not clean up after their pets.

The South Zeal resident said she always got an aggressive response if she approached people in a polite way about dog fouling.

?If some people can pick up after their dogs why can?t others,? she said. ?There are enough notices around yet I cannot see the situation has improved much at all.?

Chairman of South Tawton Parish Council, Bill Cann, said the parish had paid into the Dog Warden scheme but there was only one warden covering the whole of the borough.

?We are doing all we can by putting posters up and trying to make people responsible and we alert the warden if there are particular problem areas so he can come out and patrol them,? he said.

?One of the problems is when it comes to prosecutions. Witnesses are not prepared to stand up and give a statement.?

Mr Cann said he was very sorry to hear of Mrs Radford?s accident but nobody could say the parish council had not made an effort in trying to stop dog fouling.

?If comes down to the responsibility of people ? there are some who are and some who are not and like everything it is the minority causing the problem.?

Environmental services officer for the borough council Dave Arscott said the dog warden had 12 parishes to cover in 18 and a half hours a week.

?It is difficult to police with a limited service, which is why we ask parishes to let us know of specific problem times and areas so we can check out complaints,? he said.

There is a £50 on-the-spot penalty for anyone caught in the act but if people fail to pay the case will go to court with a maximum £1,000 fine.

So far there have been five such penalties and one prosecution when the defendant was fined £25 with £100 costs.

Mr Arscott said there was no doubt the incidents of dog fouling had reduced, but peoples? aspirations had got higher in the meantime.

?One incident is better than six or seven but yes, we would like to get that down to nothing,? he said. ?We have plans but there are so many demands on the council?s budget that we cannot always do what we would like to.?

The officer said people should not be concerned about informing the dog warden about an irresponsible dog owner, as all information would be treated in the strictest confidence.

?Once we know there is a problem we can visit the area for ourselves and I would urge anyone concerned to phone 01822 813600 and ask for Environmental Health.?