matthew hart, of Teign Road, Teignmouth, writes an open letter to the Teignbridge Council dog warden:

I moved to Teignmouth exactly a year ago and have settled in rather well in that time.

It is with great sadness that despite the efforts being made by the council to modernise several buildings to fit in with what is a superbly beautiful backdrop, another major eyesore has been largely overlooked. I speak, of course, about the horrendous amount of dog mess in and around certain areas of Teignmouth.

As a council tax payer, I believe I, and thousands of others in the town have been short changed by the council's lackadaisical attitude with regards to environmental health.

The hygiene in some parts of Teignmouth only shows how tolerant or negligent our council has been towards the 'irresponsible' dog walkers out there. Some, frankly do not care or have given up caring about whether or not their dog's mess is disposed of correctly or not.

This is a classic case of the Broken Window Theory which states that monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well ordered condition may stop further vandalism as well as an escalation into more serious crime.

How can anybody appreciate Teignmouth's scenery when their main concern is where they step? Every few steps sees another pile of it, particularly in the lesser lit areas such as Coombe Vale road, Hermosa road, Clay Lane, Shaldon bridge and particularly the area around the Teignmouth library, where there happens to be a bin for dog mess, crammed in a hedge literally full of more dog mess.

Does Teignmouth have a dog warden? This behaviour is against the law, a law that promises to fine heavily those dog owners who do not pick up after their pets.

Under The Dog (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 it is an offence to not clear up after a dog. If you are caught you will be issued with a fixed penalty of £50. Failure to pay could result in court action and an increased fine.

We live in a country where you cannot drop litter or cigarette butts and rightly so but all of the people I have spoken with in Teignmouth regarding this disgusting behaviour have expressed fury. each of whom has named an area close to them that they consider the worst for it.

This is a case of standards. It is not acceptable for so few to have such an effect on so many. It is the responsibility of our council's Environmental Health to address this issue. I would suggest installing far more dog mess bins and warning signs around these areas, leaving no excuse for the offenders to justify their breaking the law. Perhaps a few people could be punished and made examples of as a deterrent to would be, future offenders.

They are doing a huge disservice to the innocent and respectable dog walkers in Teignmouth. A lot of the mess around Coombe Vale road happens to be bagged, then discarded. Does this not tell the council something?

Every journey seems to involve some manner of hopscotch and a check of the heels every five minutes.

I wonder what the rest of Teignmouth thinks and how this may provoke a response from a community that has suffered longer than I have.

Perhaps a few cases of toxocara will whip up some pressure for the council to start dealing with a problem that's only seemed to increase.

The reality is nobody wants to walk this into their homes or cars and the kids should play football in the park without being blinded by it.

More bins, more warning signs and perhaps a few community service guys to get a clean up job on the go.

Teignmouth is a beautiful area with a proud and respectable people and their home should represent that. Anyone with similar views or related issues should also bombard the council with suggestions for this.

let's get some sort of campaign on the go!THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION