PARISH and town councils in Breckland will have the power to make sure dog owners clean up after their pets and keep them under control after the district council decided to let them take the lead.

PARISH and town councils in Breckland will have the power to make sure dog owners clean up after their pets and keep them under control after the district council decided to let them take the lead.

After several enquiries about making dog control orders, following incidents where dogs were off leads in public areas and were being aggressive to other dogs and people, the executive board at Breckland Council agreed to support towns and parishes in making dog control orders for their own areas.

But it will mean individual towns and parishes will have to employ their own enforcement officers to monitor the situation and issue fixed penalty notices or collect evidence for prosecution.

A report to the executive board meeting in November said the “setting of control orders for issues such as dogs on leads is viewed as an issue which should be addressed at a very local level. It is considered that this work is best covered by town and parish councils who will know the views of their local residents and be far better placed to identify the need for an order and its exact parameters.”

Tony Needham, clerk to Dereham town council, said they had asked Breckland for an order on the recreation ground which has problems with dog fouling and dogs off leads.

“There is not enough space on the recreation ground for people to have dogs off leads,” he said. “The dog warden has already identified that there could be conflicts over dogs and it could lead to problems.”

He said the town council would look at the possibility of drawing up a dog control order and discuss the best way to enforce it and follow up any fines that would be issued.

“When we get the feedback from Breckland we will look at the issues and decide on the best options for us.”