A furious councillor in Ballyshannon is on the war path about dog fouling.

Cllr Phonsie Travers appears to be at the end of his leash with the issue and told colleagues at Tuesday night's town council meeting he had enough of it.

Proposing the council erect signs indicating that the owners of dogs who foul public areas will be prosecuted, he explained his ire: "People take their dogs out for a specific purpose, to allow them deficate. When I go to my car outside my house I have to check my steps. Last week at my own door a woman with a dog passed me and the dog 'performed' outside my gate. 'You don't expect me to pick that up', she said and I told her in no uncertain terms 'I do because that's your
baby'. She just walked on."

He said he wanted to know once and for all who was responsible for the enforcement of the law in relation to dog fouling. "Go up to any of the public buildings, outside our local churches, anywhere in the town and the public areas are a mess with dog droppings."

Cllr John Meehan, who ran a campaign to have 'pooper scoopers' introduced to the town claimed he could identify one dog owner who takes their dogs out the Donegal Town road every evening and the dogs deficate there all the time. He suggested if the warden just sat and observed what was going on any evening he could taken action. "I approached the person about this and I wouldn't like to say what he told me."

He said it was about trying to chang epeople's attitudes. "That's why I had proposed we provide the plastic bags free for a trial period." Cllr Travers: "It's about enforcement. We are far too tolerant, that's our problem. The law is there, it is just not being enforced."

Cllr Billy Grimes: "It's a very difficult one, you'd be quicker getting the winning lotto numbers than getting a prosecution for dog fouling. He suggested the Dog Warden should be asked to visit the town and take action by impounding any dogs not on a leash.

Cllr Grimes proposed they erect the appropriate signs re dog fouling, Cllr Grimes said any signs erected should also include warnings about littering.