RESIDENTS of Chilton have backed a campaign to promote responsible dog ownership.

A two week campaign was held in Chilton to encourage dog owners to pick up after their pets and to get them microchipped.

Durham County Council, Chilton Town Council, social housing provider livin and animal charity Stray Aid teamed up to for the initiative to tackle local concerns about dog fouling.

Extra neighbourhood warden patrols were carried out and staff from livin and the council’s civic pride team spoke to pupils at Chilton Primary School to teach them about being responsible dog owners.

It led to 25 dogs being microchipped, while 17 people signed up to a green dog walkers scheme and one person who failed to pick up their dog’s waste received an £80 fixed penalty notice.

Town clerk Paul Gray said: “Following complaints about dog fouling from local residents we approached Durham County Council to carry out this campaign.

“We’d like to thank all those who took part and hope to see a reduction in dog fouling problems through raising awareness and educating people on responsible dog ownership.”

Pauline Walker, senior civic pride officer at Durham County Council, said: “Chilton dog owners have demonstrated how responsible they are in looking after their dogs and picking up after them.

“It is unfortunate that a minority of people do not act responsibly and it is these people who we must target through our ongoing work and community campaigns such as this one.

“We would encourage people who are aware of problems with dog fouling in their area to report their concerns to us, with as much information as possible, so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.”