DOGS are to be outlawed from the recreation ground in Bovey Tracey.

The ban, which excludes guide dogs, comes into force on Wednesday, June 1.

on Monday, Bovey Tracey Town Council decided not to implement the ban immediately so that owners who take their pets to the recreation ground regularly could be informed.

In November, fed up with an increase in dog faeces being left behind, the council warned owners that unless they cleaned up their act their animals faced a ban.

Cllr Alan Griesiell told Monday's meeting that the warning had gone unheeded.

'During the monitoring period the situation has changed. in fact it has got worse,' he said.

'We have people arriving and remaining in their cars, letting their dogs out and then letting them back in and not knowing what they have been up to.

'There are six dog bins there but recently we have even had dog mess inside the children's play area.'

Cllr George Gribble said people drove to the recreation ground from far and wide just to let their dogs poo in places used by the children of Bovey Tracey.

Cllr David Elphick commented that dogs had no place in a playground of any description.

Clerk Terry Westwood told councillors he had already received phone calls from dog owners who had been taking their pets to the recreation ground for many years.

'I think we will have a backlash but we must explain why we are doing it. This is because of the concerns of health issues relating to the transmission of toxocara to humans,' he said.