PARISH councils in Teesdale have said they must work together to solve the problem of dog mess in the county.

At a meeting organised by Etherley Parish Council, parish councillors said they needed to persuade Teesdale District Council that dog waste was an issue people in the dale felt strongly about.

Teesdale District Council has said it wants to install dog waste bins, but installation costs and the disposal of their contents was a major factor.

Instead, the council has said it would concentrate on educating people about the dangers of leaving dog faeces. The council employs a part-time dog warden, but her duties are split between that and parking attendant at the council car park in Barnard Castle.

Councillor Martin Clark, the chairman of Etherley Parish Council, said in the council's recent parish plan, 98 per cent of respondents considered dog mess a large problem.

He said: "I don't think we can allow the current situation to continue. To even get dog fouling bins across the district from this council, we might be waiting a very long time. We have to look at the alternatives." Coun Clark said he had been speaking to parish councils across the country about how they dealt with the problems.

Some options included voluntary dog wardens, who could reprimand offenders or a parish dog warden, who could issue fixed penalties as well as clear up mess.

Although parishes could make a contribution to these initiatives, it was felt the support of the district council would be needed.

It was agreed the matter should be investigated further before meeting the district councillors.