irresponsible dog owners in Okehampton are being urged to clean up their act. The move comes amid discussions between West Devon Borough Council and Okehampton Town Council on the best way to address the problem of dog fouling. The town council acknowledged that, in recent years, there have been improvements but the problem still persists. Okehampton mayor Tony Leech said: ?This is a big issue, it is dangerous and we need to target the ?bad? dog owners who are responsible for it.? Dog excrement contains roundworm eggs called toxacara that will contaminate the soil if not cleared up. The parasite can live in the soil for up to two years, meaning it remains contaminated long after the excrement has degraded. It is a danger for children as the parasite can be passed on to humans, often through hands, toys or shoes. The disease, toxocariasis, can often lead to blindness. The borough council has a budget of £12,000 to implement dog fouling strategies. The budget designated to Okehampton is 29p a head, this was then matched with funding by the town council. But the town council pulled out of the scheme over fears that it was not economically viable. It means that, at present, the dog warden in charge of enforcing the law, is spending less time in Okehampton. Dog wardens patrol the streets and parks but do not wear uniforms. If they see a dog fouling and the mess is not cleared away, the dog owner can be issued with a fixed penalty notice ? a £50 on the spot fine. If this fine is not paid within 14 days the dog owner will then be taken to court. There have already been prosecutions in Okehampton. Dave Arscott, an Okehampton resident and technical officer of environmental health for the borough council, said: ?The more you put into the scheme, the more you get out of it. Eighty per cent of dog owners are very co-operative. ?Most offences occur late at night or early in the morning. We don?t issue penalty notices unless the dog wardens can back them up and follow them through to court.? The council discussed the possibility of putting more dog bins around the town. But Cllr Leech said: ?The 20 per cent of dog owners that are the problem will always be the problem no matter how many bins there are. ?The dog bins are there for the ?good? dog owners. Unless we find the people that are causing the problem and press them, then the problem isn?t going to change. There is no such thing as a bad dog, there are only bad dog owners.? Cllr Christine Marsh said: ?I would like to see a dog warden back in the town because it serves as a deterrent.?
