AN action plan to tackle problems with dogs in Darlington has been launched.

The borough council's public protection scrutiny committee has set up a group to investigate issues such as stray dogs, complaints about dog fouling and barking, and the role of dog wardens.

The group has started testing how easy it is for people to complain about dog dirt and how well the authority responds. Ward councillor Bill Maybrey acted as a mystery caller and said he was pleased with the response he received.

Next month, members will go out with dog wardens to see what their job entails.

The review group will also consider whether to out-source its dog warden service and will visit other authorities which already do so.

At the moment, Darlington council puts stray dogs in kennels at Deerness, in County Durham, for up to seven days, before sending them to the Dogs' Trust, at Sadberge, for re-homing.

The plan will be discussed at a meeting at the town hall at 10am on Tuesday.