COVERT 'spy' cameras are set to be used in Gargrave in a bid to get selfish dog owners to clean up after their pets.

A meeting of the parish council heard that the stretch of the canal towpath closest to the village centre was plagued by piles of dog faeces.

The council has put up signs pleading with dog owners to think of others and has taken to spraying dog mess with red paint to alert walkers, but all to no avail.

The meeting heard that instead of picking up after their pets, bagging it and depositing it in bins, some people instead dug shallow holes and tried to bury it - creating a booby-trap for the unwary walker.

There were also issues with dogs being allowed to foul the village playing field which in the past had caused problems for the council's grass cutting contractor.

Now, the council has decided enough is enough and is using Craven District Council's flytipping cameras - which are used at littering hotspots - in the hope those anti-social dog owners will get the message.

Five sites will be targeted close to the canal towpath where signs - subject to the approval of the Canal and River Trust - will be put up warning people they and their dogs could be caught on camera.

Parish council chairman Stephen Coetzer said it was hoped that the offending residents and visitors who failed to clean up after their dogs would be persuaded to change their ways.

"The signs will warn people that CCTV is in action and people risk prosecution if they continue to let their dogs foul the footpath and not clean it up," he said.

Ward councillor Simon Myers, whose ward based grant has been used to pay for the signs, said it was an issue that made people very angry as it impacted on the quality of their life. "It is a very selfish thing to do," he said.

Cllr Coetzer said he had recently counted 18 piles of dog faeces on a short walk along the towpath from Marton Road to Mark House Lane and explained that the use of red paint was to 'make people aware and stop their children from standing in it'.

Walker, Chris Dawson, using the towpath at the weekend, said he had been surprised at the amount of uncleared up dog faeces near Gargrave.

"I'm not sure about it being sprayed red, but there does seem to be a lot more than I usually see along the towpath," he said.