Swindon has just one dog warden to tackle the scourge of irresponsible owners who fail to pick up the mess made by their dogs.

Mother-of-two Melanie Creighton comes face to face with the problem every day and is demanding action. Dog owners even allow their pets to foul on land at the back of her house, in Baird Close, Shaw.

She said: "It's everywhere. This is supposed to be a respectable area. I can't believe people can have such disregard for their environment. It's filthy."

Mrs Creighton, 33, is sick of seeing dog mess while walking her five-year-old daughter, Hannah, to school.

She particularly concerned about the problem because of her five-month-old baby, Benjamin.

She said: "The stuff is smelly and unsafe, especially when you have young children."

She wants dog mess bins to be put along the pathways leading to Brook-field Primary School, in Cartwright Drive, to improve the situation.

At the moment Mrs Creighton, who owns a six-year-old chocolate Labrador, called Archie, puts his dog mess in nappy sacks and deposits it in an outside bin.

Her neighbour, Caroline Brandon, 37, who also has two young children, is equally frustrated with the scourge of dog mess. She said: "I'm appalled people don't clear it up. It's unsightly and a health hazard. Every day we dodge it on the way to school."

Under the Dogs (fouling of land) Act 1996, owners face a fine of up to £1,000 for failing to clear away mess from public areas.

But Swindon Council only employs one warden to catch people in the act.

Since last April Swindon Council has prosecuted five people, and issued two cautions, for dog fouling offences.

Ian Ashmore, the council's team leader for environmental protection, explained why the figures are so low.

He said: "We have to catch people in the act, which can be difficult. 24 hour surveillance of pathways is not an option, so we welcome members of the public giving us intelligence about offending dog owners."

The council also employs an animals officer, who is trained to carry out patrols of local parks and recreation areas in the dog warden's absence.

Mr Ashmore said: "If a grass verge regularly gets fouled by the same dog walker, residents can call us and we will send our dog warden out."

He has pledged to investigate the problem near Baird Close, in Shaw. But the council will not be buying more dog mess bins or recruiting extra staff to catch offending owners.

Mr Ashmore said: "At present there is no more funding for more bins or staff. I don't anticipate this changing in the near future."

The dog warden position is a statutory post, which all local councils must provide.

Besides carrying out patrols, the dog warden also tries to educate dog owners by handing out bags for dog mess and posting up stickers warning of penalty fines.

Mr Ashmore said: "It is not necessarily a case of there being more dog mess. People's tolerance has decreased. Nowa-days it simply isn't acceptable."

Council contractors remove around 1.5-tonnes of waste from dog mess bins in Swindon every month.

To report an irresponsible dog owner, call Swindon Council's environmental protection team on 01793 463000.

Should Swindon employ more wardens to catch out irresponsible owners? Let us know what you think. Write to Editor, 100 Victoria Road, Swindon or email editor@newswilts.co.uk

Victoria Tagg