RESIDENTS are being urged to report dog fouling to the council after a spate of incidents in the local area.

At their monthly meeting, Shotton councillors said they have seen an increase in dog fouling, particularly on the Shotton Lane ’33 Club Playing Field’.

Members were told that before the Aston Park Rangers Junior football team could start their game, they had to pick up more than 20 bags of dog poo first.

Cllr Mike Evans said: “It’s giving responsible dog owners a bad name. One resident actually witnessed someone in broad daylight. We’ve got to get the message out.

“Can I ask the public to report it, if you don’t want to do it, we will do it on your behalf.”

The playing field is currently part of a public space protection order (PSPO) which bans the walking of dogs on marked football and rugby pitches.

Cllr David Evans said the issues need to be reported before enforcement officers are sent out.

He added: “We were talking about this at County (council), how do we know where to send enforcements if we aren’t reporting things.

“They won’t have the intelligence of where to send enforcement officers so just ring it through, take photos and send them through. I’m building that data up.”

Cllr Sean Bibby said: “If there are individuals who can be identified, they can be found. Intelligence is vital.”

Members were told by Wayne Jones, Flintshire County Council Streetscene, that enforcement officers are flexible with times so reports can be made at any time of the day.