A PLEA for more dog warden hours in the Okehampton area came from town councillors at their meeting last week.
West Devon Borough Council's dog warden operates in Okehampton under a partnership scheme between the two authorities and other parishes — technical officer Dave Arscott has asked for partnering councils' views on how the system is working.
Town clerk John Winchester told members that the idea of the dog warden was essentially to educate people about clearing up after their pets and becoming a responsible dog owner — the last resort was a court action.
He said: 'Foot and mouth has probably exacerbated the problem as we see it in Simmons Park, however, I feel the borough has fulfilled their obligations to attempt to educate people.'
Cllr Sylvia Westlake said she did not think anyone ever saw the dog warden, and more hours were needed to make the scheme work properly, while Cllr Stan Stormont said the number of people walking their dogs had increased a great deal since the beginning of the foot and mouth outbreaks.
Cllr Tony Leech said there was a problem with dog faeces all over the town and on the few occasions he had spoken to owners, he had had 'nothing but abuse' thrown at him.
Cllr Perry Vallance said the dog warden needed to be informed if there was a particular problem in a specific area or at a specific time.
And Cllr Christine Marsh pointed out that the part-time dog warden had to cover 11 parishes in West Devon.
'I think maybe you are asking for a full-time warden,' she said.
The clerk has written to the borough council stating that town councillors were pleased with the service but felt more hours were required to maximise the effectiveness of the scheme.