A SCHEME to offer dog owners free ‘dirt bags’ has ended.

Otley Town Council agreed to install three dog-waste bag dispensers, complete with biodegradable bags provided free of charge, at Gallows Hill Nature Area at the end of 2018. The move was designed to remove any excuse for dog fouling in the area.

The number of bags being taken, however, forced the council to change tack and a notice has been attached to the dispensers advising dog owners that they can collect a free bag from Otley Core.

Council Chair Councillor Richard Hughes said the change was actually implemented some time ago. He said: “This change was made many months ago and was a response to the rapidity with which the bags were being removed. It was too expensive and too time-consuming to keep the dispenser stocked as we would have liked. Offering the opportunity to collect bags from the council offices was a sensible alternative.”