DOG fouling has increased as Covid restrictions were relaxed – according to Dorset town and parish councils.

They are also telling Dorset Council that an increasing number of dog owners are ignoring restrictions around sports pitches.

In some cases the number of dog warden patrols has been stepped up and new signs put up in areas with problems.

Place and resources scrutiny committee members heard on Tuesday that complaints about aggressive dogs to Dorset Council generally reach around three hundred a year over the past two years with 180 complaints a year about fouling.

Councillors were told that one of the problem areas remains off-peak dog exercising on the Front Beach at Lyme Regis where a dog on lead restriction also applies in the winter. There were also reported problems at Church Beach in the town.

“It is a problem. If everybody cleared up early morning and late at night it would be much better,” said Cllr Mark Roberts.

Cllr Noc Lacey-Clarke said the council ought to be making it easier for people to dispose of their dog waste. He said he believed there had been a spike in littering problems with poo bags when the bins were not emptied frequently enough, especially at peak times and when there had been staff shortages.

Head of community and public protection Graham Duggan agreed that there had been problems from time to time with staff looking at areas where there were frequently overflowing bins by suggesting an increase in the size, or number of bins.

Cllr Roberts, who chairs the harbours committee, suggested that further dog restriction orders might be considered on places such as the Cobb at Lyme Regis where he said fishermen sometimes reported problems of dogs trying to cock their leg against fish catches: “These are, of course, food products,” he said, adding that dog owners often became angry when the activities of their pets were commented on by boat crews.

Scrutiny committee chairman Cllr Shane Bartlett questioned whether dog enforcement could be widened beyond authorised council officers, possibly by volunteers or traffic wardens, but was told there was probably only a limited role for volunteers and it was better that they were not put in a position where they might have to challenge dog owners. Mr Duggan told the chairman that there could be a role for volunteers in observing and reporting problems to the council and said that approach would be explored.

“More often than not it’s a small number of people who are causing the problems and we need intelligence to identfy where we need to take action,” said Mr Duggan.

Around twenty town and parish council officers are currently trained to carry out dog-related duties with another training course expected to be held in the coming weeks. Dorset Councill has five officers responsible for enforcing regulations relating to dogs in the county.

The council is expected to undertake a formal review of dog related public spaces protection orders next year.