Widespread concern about the amount of dog waste found on Monmouth’s streets was mentioned at a recent town council environment committee meeting.

Councillors were horrified to see that, over the festive period, dog fouling seemed to have increased, apparently from people walking their dogs in the early morning. It was decided to contact Sue Parkinson from Monmouthshire County Council - the Waste and Recycling Education and Awareness Officer - and organise some sort of awareness campaign alongside local media such as the Beacon.

Cllr Sue White said that while it was easy to identify a car by its registration number, it was more difficult to identify dog owners who flout the law.

She also highlighted the amount of cigarette ends seen on the ground in certain areas of town.

Cllr Rob Caffel said he had delivered a letter to the Punch House following the number of cigarette ends littering the cobbles on Agincourt Square "but unfortunately they were not allowed to put the letter on display by their bosses".

"There is also an individual who lives in Beaufort Court who leaves cigarette ends on the floor in that area and it was suggested to write a letter to all residents of the apartments at the former coach house to inform them of their public responsibility," he added.

Cllr Sue White said she really disliked seeing cigarette ends on top of the bins in Church Street - "that is to me as bad as dog waste".

"They’re doing it deliberately . Why can’t we say to them take a pride in your town?" she added.

The council has promised to replace the broken litter bin at the end of Church Street.