THE issue of dog fouling in Cardigan has become so bad that town councillors may now take drastic action in a bid to curb the problem.

They are considering launching a crackdown on owners who exercise the pets in all the town’s ‘green areas’, including the King George V playing field, Victoria Gardens and Netpool.

The offensive would take the form of a by-law covering such areas – although town mayor Sian Maehrlein warned that a designated ‘dog park’ would have to be put in place before such a scheme could begin.

“If this problem persists there will no longer be any football and rugby matches played on the King George V,” Cllr John Adams-Lewis told colleagues. “I am equally concerned at the risk posed by dog fouling to little children – all because some people let their dogs foul on the pitch.

“We have got to do something so I would suggest writing to Ceredigion County Council with the aim of bringing in a by-law.

“Other authorities use by-laws, so why not here in Cardigan?

“We must talk to the county council to try and find a way forward because at the moment small children are at risk because of dog fouling.”

He was commenting on a report by the King George V Playing Field Committee claiming the number of cases of dog fouling was increasing.

Cllr Nick Bolton suggested that dog fouling was a problem not confined to the town’s playing field.

“We shouldn’t just be looking at the King George V, but also places like Victoria Gardens and Netpool,” he added. “In fact anywhere where there’s a problem in an area which is used as a recreational space.”

However, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh said he was ‘wary’ of the suggestion of banning dogs from Victoria Gardens.

“We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of dog owners do clear up after their pets,” he told colleagues. “I am not comfortable at the prospect of punishing the majority of dog owners because of the actions of a minority.”

Cllr Maehrlein agreed. “I just think that if dog owners weren’t allowed to use Victoria Gardens then where would they walk their pets?” she asked. “We would need to push on with the setting-up of a dog park first.”

It was agreed to defer matters such as re-marking the parking spaces in the King George V playing field and plugging the 15-metre gap in the fence on Greenland Meadows until next month’s budget meeting.

Members of Cardigan FC are also pushing for a lease agreement with the town council which would enable them to access grants that are currently not available to them.