DOG fouling continues to plague parks and streets in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area.

And a People's Panel Survey held by the Parks, Streets and Open spaces team that covers the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area came up with almost 88 per cent of people polled suggested that this was a top priority with fly-tipping problems one percentage point behind.

Cowdenbeath Area Committee was told by the Stephen Duffy, the officer who is in charge of the team, that despite efforts to persuade dog owners to ensure they clean up after their animals, it was still a problem.

Stephen told councillors: "There is no doubt it is the biggest issue with the public.

"I have found problems myself recently on a grassed area and found dogs' dirt on my shoes which is very unpleasant".

Certainly the Times Letters page has contained a number of items from people complaining about dog fouling and it is something that seems to haunt every community.

Added Stephen: "We have to get through to dog owners to pick up deposits for we have plenty of bins for them to deposit the material in."

At a time that the survey showed that almost 70 per cent of people were satisfied with parks and green spaces in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area but the problem with dog fouling was something that the department head was keen to see reduced.

Street cleaning services also got a 60 per cent 'satisfied' rating from the survey and Councillor Alex Campbell said: "I think that the Parks and Open Spaces team do a marvellous job within the resources that are available for them."

Councillor Rosemary Liewald said that 'education' was the watchword with the cleanliness of streets and green spaces and added: "We have to try to persuade people that using the bins is the right way to ensure that places remain tidy."