Raleigh meadow is a gauntlet of dog poo, says Samantha Shelton

A MUM of four says a street she has to walk down is regularly covered in dog poo.

Samantha Shelton, 30, who lives in Frankmarsh, Barnstaple, regularly walks down Raleigh Meadow to visit her mum and says she finds it almost impossible to avoid stepping in dog mess when she does so.

She said: "It's ridiculous. You just can't get down the street without getting it on your shoes or the wheels of your buggy.

"This morning I stepped to the side of one pile and straight into another."

Despite calls to North Devon Council she does not think the problem will be fixed.

She said: "The first person I spoke to just brushed me off and said 'well that's dog owners for you'. She put me on to the dog warden who said it was impossible to police as there's only one dog warden for the whole of Barnstaple."

Having got four kids, including a two-year-old, she is worried about the situation.

She said: "Dogs can carry toxocara canis which can cause blindness. It's a real problem."

In June North Devon Council launched a week long dog fouling offensive in Ilfracombe, after it emerged 20 per cent of complaints about dog mess came from the town, despite it having the most dog waste bins in North Devon.

A council spokesman this week said a from Mrs Shelton had been passed on to the street cleaning team to be dealt with.

Dog owners who are caught walking away from their dog's mess face a £75 fine, reduced to £60 if they pay within 14 days. If the fine isn't paid, the owner can be taken to court.

To report a dirty dog owner call 01271 388870.