A DORCHESTER town councillor says he is ‘dismayed’ that his repeated calls on dog owners to clear up their mess seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Coun David Taylor has made several appeals to local residents with dogs to clean up their mess over recent months.

Part of his motivation was the fact that he suffered from toxoplasmosis – an infection that can be causes by exposure to dog faeces – and left partially sighted in one eye.

Coun Taylor’s efforts to tackle the issue saw his liaise with West Dorset District Council for new bins to be installed at one of the problem areas, Poundbury Hillfort.

However, he says despite the new bins there continue to be problems there and he is still being constantly contacted by residents with concerns of over areas of Poundbury.

He said: “Problems are literally popping up all over the show with complaints coming in about the Great Field, around Poundbury Garden Centre, even on the main roads and pathways.

“Middlemarsh Street is a real concern as dog mess outside people’s front doors is getting worse, even with the provision of many bins by the council and Duchy of Cornwall.”

Coun Taylor urged pet owners to take responsibility for their animals so the town and surrounding area could be enjoyed by all.

He said: “It dismays me to keep hearing about this.

“This is a beautiful town and county – let’s keep it that way.

“Don’t forget if animal faeces get into your eyes through soil contact you can lose your eyesight.”

Coun Taylor said one recurring problem he was hearing of that particularly appalled him was dog owners bagging their dog mess and then leaving it on a tree or a branch rather than putting it in a bin.

He said: “The easy option is to bag it and bin it in any dustbin – it really is that easy.”