Dog owners who allow their animals to foul pavements and public spaces in Abergavenny could be fined under a new council scheme.

Abergavenny Town Council has developed an initiative to stamp out the practice following complaints from residents about dog fouling in the area.

The scheme, called ‘Give Dog Fouling the Red Card’, aims to curb complaints by highlighting the issue and offering advice to dog owners. Fines of £75 can be handed out to owners who allow their dogs to

foul in public.

A ‘yellow card’ allows members of the public to report an offence via the MCC website without giving a witness statement, which is then considered by Monmouthshire County Council.

The ‘red card’ is available for those willing to provide a witness statement. This can then lead to a fine being issued to the dog owner.

Councillor John Prosser said the campaign was part of a concerted effort between Abergavenny and Monmouthshire councils. Another 13 community councils from surrounding areas are already involved.

“I’ve had a few constituents come to me about dogs running loose in the parks, and I’ve had complaints about dogs fouling on pavements and things like that.

“I was aware there was a meeting going on in County Hall. This is where they are introducing a scheme for town and community councils to get together to reduce dog fouling and associated behaviour.

“I thought there was a lot of benefit to be obtained here. There was a lot of similar problems being expressed. We can have a common effort on the rules and regulations, which havebeen haphazard over the years.

“There’s a plethora of signs around Bailey Park, which have said different things, so we are rationalising that to put it into order.

“I am working very closely with Tim Bradfield, the MCC officer responsible for the park, and soon we will have some new signs, rules and regulations for the community. I was very pleased that town council agreed we should participate.”

Abergavenny will join with 13 other councils which headed the campaign last November. Some councils have reported a reduction in the issue since then.

At the time, MCC installed dog mess bins and provided free disposal bags. Training was also provided to local PCSOs to issue fixed penalty notices for offenders.

Temporary signs were placed in areas where dog fouling was a particular problem.

Dog faeces presents a particular concern because of the health hazards involved. Diseases linked to dog mess, such as toxocariasis, can cause serious illness, and blindness in humans.

• For more information on the scheme, visit the monmouthshire.gov.uk website.