COTSWOLD District Council (CDC) has called on residents in and around a road in Cirencester to name and shame anyone spotted leaving dog mess, following numerous complaints.

Purley Road in the town centre has long been a problem for dog fouling and CDC has promised “100 per cent anonymity to people who report offenders.”

A Purley Road resident, who wished to remain un-named, said: “It’s disgusting, and people are standing in it – probably young children on their way to school – spreading it further along the street.

“Whoever you are, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You should be taking pride of the environment and be a responsible dog owner. From now on, we will all be looking at you.”

CDC has said that residents should not fear giving them names of those responsible, in order to help put an end to issue.

A spokesman for CDC said: “We have had complaints about dog fouling in and around Purley Road.

“Although residents readily report the offences, they are extremely reluctant to name the dog owners who are responsible. We need members of the public to support us – and their community – by naming and shaming whenever possible. We guarantee 100 per cent anonymity to people who report offenders.

“Our environmental wardens have provided advice to several parish councils regarding dog fouling, and many insert articles in their monthly magazines to highlight the issue.

“The environmental wardens have also visited several junior schools to provide informative talks about the dangers of dog fouling.

“Please note that we have no dedicated dog wardens; the environmental wardens are empowered to enforce the offence but they cover the whole of the Cotswolds, and dog fouling is a very small part of their remit.”