Binmen could fine dirty dog owners in Mid Wales

Llanfyllin Councillor Darren Mayor said more council staff should be empowered to hand out on the spot fines.

And he said the ideal people were council workers on the ground who were more likely to see which dog owners were not picking up after their pets.

Concerns have been growing among Llanfyllin town councillors about the level of dog fouling in the area.

A council meeting last night said one suggestion would be to adopt a zero tolerance approach similar to the stance taken by Welshpool Town Council which has banned dogs from various parks in the town.

Police community support officer Richard Waldron said dog fouling in Llanfyllin was a constant source of complaint.

He explained that up until recently police community support officers could issue fixed penalty notices if they personally witnessed a pet owner allowing their dog to foul on the street.

But he said the powers had now been handed over to Powys County Council.

Councillor Mayor, who is also a county councillor for the Llanwddyn area, said the county had at the very most just one dog warden so it was unlikely the authority would be able to tackle the problem.

He said he understood a number of county council officers had been given powers to hand out on the spot fines to irresponsible dog owners but his understanding was that the officers with the powers generally worked behind a desk and were not often "on the streets".

Councillor Mayor said: "They have empowered the wrong people. I will be asking if we can give the power to workers such as binmen, our roadmen, the street cleaners. That seems the most logical thing."

Councillor Mayor, who announced that he would be standing down as a town councillor, said he would pursue the matter with county council officers.