WAVERTON residents are being encouraged to ‘name and shame’ irresponsible dog owners as part of a new pilot scheme.

The campaign, led by Cheshire West and Chester’s community safety wardens team, is inviting residents to take down details of dog owners who let their pets foul in the village streets.

Information collected can be reported to the community wardens anonymously, with a view to catching offenders in the act.

Community safety warden Rachel Bentham said: “In the past few months, we have had calls from people reporting an increase in the amount of dog fouling in Waverton.

“We have been out doing early morning patrols and seen dog fouling, so I went to the parish council meeting and asked how we could help.

“Because we are aware that these people tend to be creatures of habit, their dogs will tend to foul on the same place in the same street, so if people detail who is doing what, we can get our timings right and catch them.

“It’s something that keeps cropping up all the time and we have the power to give out an on-the-spot £50 fine if we do catch anyone. If they are a persistent offender, they can face up to a £1,000 fine in court.

“We are also looking at setting up a page which could list the offenders via the description of their dog.”

If anyone spots illegal dog fouling in the Waverton area, call 0300 123 7033 and leave details including a description of the dog, the owner, a name if known and the location where the dog was seen fouling.

All information can be given anonymously and the more information that can be provided, the more action may be taken against the culprits.

Waverton Post Office is also offering a free supply of dog bags.