JUST one person has been fined for dog fouling in Monmouthshire since 2010 – and their penalty was left unpaid.

On its website Monmouthshire council threatens to fine people £75 – reduced to £50 if paid within ten days – if they are caught.

But it has admitted it does not have enough staff to fully monitor the problem and it last issued a fixed penalty notice in 2013.

Each year from 2010 to 2014 the authority has received between 150 and 147 complaints about owners not picking up after their dogs, a council meeting heard last Thursday.

After persistent offenders allowed their dogs to use one of their pitches, Chepstow RFC raised £18,000 for a metal fence at the Upton Memorial Ground.

Committee member Irene Williams said she was unsurprised only one person had been caught.

She said: “[Dog fouling] is a public health issue and there is nobody who seems to do anything about it. It is just a case that you have to monitor your own. The thing is you can’t be there 24/7. People are out with their dogs before they go to work or afterwards."

Council leader cllr Peter Fox, on behalf of the cabinet member for environment, public services and housing, cllr Giles Howard, said: “The environmental health team has no officers available to carry out pro-active patrolling as resources are targeted to meeting our statutory responsibilities.

“However the team will consider information by a resident when an individual is not picking up after their dog. This will generally entail a letter being sent to the dog owner pointing out their responsibilities.”

Cllr Fox added that the number of complaints being sent to the council every year showed that the vast majority of dog owners in the county are responsible.

But the council’s Labour group leader Cllr Dimitri Batrouni said the authority should be taking a firmer stance.

He said: “The Tory cabinet do not care about the bread and butter issues residents care about. Residents want to live in clean environments and to walk on pavements without fear of stepping on something nasty. Dog fouling, in particular, is a concern many residents raise with me, but there is a limit to what you can do if the Tory controlling group won’t take it seriously.

“While the vast majority of dog owners are responsible, there are a few who are not. A clear message needs to be sent out that letting your dog foul on pavements without picking it up is unacceptable. The Tories are failing to send that message with a record of one prosecution in three years and are letting down responsible dog owners and non-dog owners alike.”