DOG owners who don’t clean up after their pooches will be the target of a new campaign in Frome.

This comes following a series of complaints on social media of the amount of dog mess that can be spotted in public areas such as Victoria Park – an area popular with children.

A series of chalk stencils encouraging people to pick up their dog’s mess will appear on footpaths in public areas across the town and poo bag dispensers will be placed near bins in open spaces.

The issues of dog mess around the town came up at the June meeting of Frome Town Council, with resident Julian Quayle, who volunteers with the council’s ranger team, saying he wants to see an “assertive programme” to put an end to the problem.

“I volunteer regularly with the Frome Town Council rangers and I regret to say whenever I’m helping out in Victoria Park, I’m always coming across dog mess on the lawns…which is a health hazard,” he said.

“I also walk about the town centre and find quite a bit of dog mess there. I’d like to see the council run an assertive campaign.”

Keep Britain Tidy estimates the UK’s 8 million pet dogs produce more than one thousand tonnes of mess every day.

Stencils similar to this will be appearing around the town in August

Despite the fact that not clearing up after a dog is illegal, and could attract a fixed penalty notice of £100, some dog owners across the UK do not do so. In rare cases, accidental contact with dog mess can have serious health consequences, such as blindness or seizures.

Councillor Anita Collier of Frome Town Council says she hopes this new campaign will make a difference to the amount of dog mess around the town.

She said: “We love our dogs in Frome but dog poo in our public spaces is not acceptable, and it causes problems for everyone.

“We hope this new campaign will make a difference, here in Frome. From the beginning of August, you’ll see stencils on walkways in parks and around town, a visual reminder to people that they have a responsibility to clean up after their dogs.

“We’ll also install poo bag points in lots of the places where the problem is happening: we know even the most responsible dog owners occasionally slip up and we want to help solve the problem, not just point it out.

“We want to make it easy to act and hard to ignore. It isn’t only unsightly and unhygienic; it also poses a genuine risk to health.

“Please get involved, whether you’re a dog owner yourself or you have a friend or family member who is. Let’s work towards a cleaner and more pleasant Frome for everyone.”

Frome Town Council’s dog poo campaign launches in August.

Anyone with an interest is welcome to email info@frometowncouncil with feedback and suggestions for locations for signage, stencils and poo bags.