DOG owners who let their pets foul on the streets of Pwllheli and don’t clean up after them have come under fire.

Pwllheli town councillors are urging dog walkers in the town to clean up after their pets after receiving numerous complaints from members of the community.

Cllr Myrddin Owen said he believed the problem was becoming worse in the town.

He said: “This is becoming a real problem in Pwllheli. The areas I have noticed myself which are worst affected are Ffordd Caerdydd and along the prom.

“We can’t blame tourists for this as it’s winter, so it’s clearly local people who are walking their dogs and not picking their mess up after them.

“The situation needs highlighting with Gwynedd Council and I’d like to know how many fines the street wardens are giving out to those people who are not clearing up after their dogs.”

Trespass shop owner Cllr Ffiona Adams echoed Cllr Owen’s concerns and said there is a serious problem with dog mess in the centre of the town.

She said: “A lot of people come into my shop on a regular basis and complain to me about the amount of dog mess on the streets. It’s a real problem.

“Only recently I was informed that a small child was walking along the harbour and nearly fell face first into a pile of dog mess – it really is a big problem in the town.

“We need to make people aware of the importance of cleaning up after their dogs, not only to keep the area clean and tidy, but also to keep the public safe, as dog mess can be extremely dangerous if children come into contact with it.”

The disease, toxocariasis, can be caught through dog faeces, which can lead to blindness especially among children.

It can occur if people come into contact with dog mess or soil infected with the eggs of the toxocara worm.

To encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets, Cllr Adams says dog mess bags are being kept in Trespass and Farmer and His Wife in the town.

She said: “If anyone needs any dog mess bags they can come into the shop to coll­ect some.

“We all need to work together on this and help tackle the problem.”

Peter Simpson, Gwynedd Council Streetscene manager, said: “During 2014-15, Gwynedd Council’s Street Enf­orcement Team issued five £100 fixed penalty noti­ces for dog control order offences in Pwllheli.

“More recently, fines have been issued on two are­as of Glan y Don and on North Quay, Pwllheli. The team patrols the area regularly, at various times of the day and anyone caught failing to clean up their dog’s mess will be fined.

“We would be happy to meet representatives from Pwllheli Town Council to discuss what steps are alre­ady being taken and how this can be added to by mounting a locally-led campaign.”