Disgusted Devizes residents are calling for action over the “shocking” outbreak of dog fouling all over the town.

Residents are in uproar over the mess that some dog-owners are not cleaning up and calls have been made to the town council to hire a dog warden to fine those responsible.

But hopes for a Devizes Town Council dog patrol have been dashed as the authority is powerless to help and instead town councillor Iain Wallis has proposed that a task force is formed by the council to find a way to solve the problem.

Scores of outraged locals responded in agreement after one resident posted on a community Facebook group, writing: “The amount of dog excrement around is becoming beyond a joke.

“I walk my dog most days around Jump Road, Windsor Drive, Cornfield Road, in the last few days the amount of large piles of dog poo has become ridiculous. Whoever is doing this, you are a disgrace, and breaking the law.”

A newcomer to the town also spoke for many when she replied: “We have only recently moved here and I have been shocked by the amount if dog poop in town, right outside coffee shops in the market area and the walkway down to The Wharf.”

Other residents cited regular fouling in Sheep Street, Hound Street, Brickley Lane, Station Road, the canal path, Quakers Walk, Victoria Road and on children’s routes to Southbroom schools.

One posted: “Yes Devizes is one big dog toilet at the moment and something definitely needs to be done about it, but what? Maybe we should ask the school kids to create posters to be put up around town?”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Dog fouling enforcement lies with Wiltshire Council and is difficult to enforce as the fouling must be witnessed and evidenced and also because enforcement teams are few.

Now Cllr Wallis is proposing that the town council sets up a task force to tackle the blight on Devizes.

He told the Gazette & Herald: “I do not think that enforcement is the answer to this problem. It is clear from the correspondence I receive that dog fouling is widespread across Devizes, with very few people actually witnessing the offence taking place.

“To employ enough enforcement officers to cover the whole county and be there to witness dog fouling taking place would be virtually impossible, so I believe we need to concentrate on stopping it from happening in the first place.

“I would like to see the town council set up a task group to gather ideas from the public as to how we can tackle the issue.

"Members of the community are responsible for the problem so it seems sensible to ask the community why they think it happens and how we can solve it.”