DOG fouling was top of the agenda for a community council, with some creative ways to highlight the issue raised.

Members of Caia Park Community Council met for their monthly meeting in Prince Charles Road and brought up the issue of dog fouling creating a mess in their area.

Cllr Adrienne Jeorett, representing the Smithfield ward, had a bone to pick with dog owners not cleaning up after their pet pooches on walks through the town.

She said: “It is something that people are really fed up about now and it is a disgusting nightmare when you unknowingly walk through some and it comes into your house.”

Cllr Jeorett told members she had been out in the Caia Park community with stencils and paint to enforce the message to dog walkers that they must pick up after their animals when out and about – but explained the size of the stencils were not very effective and that the problem persists.

She also discussed some signs she had spotted online from Liverpool and Ireland with the chair of the meeting that had bolder imagery and enforced the message of fines being issued to disobedient owners.

Luminous spray paint on each piece of poo was also suggested by members to highlight a snapshot of the issue that dog fouling has become in the community of Caia Park.

Figures obtained by the Leader from Wrexham Council under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) show that, in 2017, the county issued almost 100 penalty notices to dog owners totalling £4,425.

In that time, the council received a total of 16 complaints from the five Caia Park wards combined, with Smithfield being one of the worst areas affected with six official complaints.

The clerk, Michael Morris, said that he would look into the possibility of securing larger stencils to have a bigger impact in hotspot areas.

He also added that the community council do possess larger dog fouling signs, put up in partnership with Wrexham Council, but the issue with those was finding suitable premises to display the warnings.

He said: “The difficulty came with us being confided to placing them on street lighting or fencing. These then had to be at a certain height to avoid people bumping their heads or knocking them off. A small number could be trailed in the area to see if they had an impact.”

The clerk also suggested getting local schoolchildren on board with a competition to design posters in the upcoming autumn term to promote the issue.

To report an issue of dog fouling, go to

www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/env_services/community_services/dogs.htm