A CAMPAIGN to crack down on dog mess in Wyre Forest was “just hot air”, it has been claimed, after it was revealed no fines have been issued since it began.

Wyre Forest District Council announced last July it would be cracking down on dog owners who failed to clean up after their pets but they have not done anything about it, said Labour councillor Adrian Sewell.

He added a Freedom of Information (FOI) request put in by a resident showed no fines had been issued since the authority launched the Love your Place campaign, despite there being 11 officers at the council who could issue fines for the offence.

The FOI, seen by The Shuttle, also revealed there were no dog control orders in force and no dog wardens employed by the district council.

Conservative councillor Marcus Hart, the district council’s cabinet member with responsibility for environmental resources, admitted no fines had been issued so far but said the authority was “serious” about tackling the issue.

Mr Sewell added: “We were given assurances from the council that they would be doing something about it and the FOI shows they are doing nothing about it at all.

“I’m disappointed because [dog fouling] is anti-social. I was pleased when it was announced it was being tackled but I think the council were struggling for resources and that’s proven to be the case. It’s just hot air.”

The Broadwaters councillor added dog mess was a big issue in the district and was “very important” to residents.

Members of The Friends of Springfield Park have now designed their own posters to try and tackle dog fouling in the park.

Mr Hart explained the campaign was “as much about educating and raising the profile of the issue and to give people an opportunity to change their behaviour as it is about issuing Fixed Penalty Notices”.

He added: “We hope it’s helped to get the message across that it’s unacceptable to leave dog mess around and to drop litter.

“We always allow the public to the opportunity to remove their dog's mess or litter before we issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. We have not issued any fines so far but we are serious about tackling this issue and so will issue fines when we need to.”