DOG FOULING continues to be an issue that sparks huge debate in the Examiner’s letters column and on our website.

Many feel that more should be done to get owners to clean up after their pets and that those who don’t and who persist in this anti-social behaviour should be reported and fined.

The latest figures from Kirklees Council seem to support the view that dog owners who allow their dogs to foul pavements and other places are likely to find themselves reported.

Last year there were 678 complaints made to the council but perhaps surprisingly, of those just 10 resulted in dog-owners being issued with a fixed-penalty fine of £50. Worse still, just five of them have paid up.

Kirklees Council is one of 96 authorities which have signed up to a campaign by Keep Britain Tidy to reduce the amount of fouling.

They say that working with housing officers, landlords, neighbourhood Forums and pet shops has helped get across the anti-fouling message and that the number of incidents reported has gone down.

But there is clearly still much to do before people can go out for a walk and children can play on our open spaces without finding themselves or their clothing fouled by dog dirt.

It has to be said that the majority of dog owners are sensible, responsible people who do indeed clear up after their pets. As usual with any anti-social behaviour, it is the thoughtless few who cause problems. The campaign to re-educate them should continue.