FIVE dog poo bag dispensers will be placed at different locations around Burnham-on-Sea as part of a trial to tackle dog fouling.

Councillors from Burnham and Highbridge Town Council's town project committee voted in favour of the scheme on Wednesday (March 20) which will see two dispensers placed at each end of the town's High Street, one on Burnham Esplanade, one at Apex Park and one at Southwell Gardens Playing Field at a cost of £62 each.

Councillor Phil Harvey, who proposed the scheme, was inspired to crackdown on the issue after seeing stories in local media about 10-year-old Ivy Meager who made handmade dog poo dispensers and put them around Burnham and Highbridge.

He said: "There was local media coverage about a young girl who was doing this off her own back and I thought it would be good to get this into the town council.

"We spend money on decorations for the town but we need to spend money to tackle issues like this.

"I think this is a good cost and I would like to trial this for a bit and have four or five dispensers.

"It is only going to cost us £400 and we can see what effect they will have."

Councillor Peter Clayton welcomed Cllr Harvey's suggestion but said he has fears dog owners will take advantage of the scheme and empty the dispensers of dog bags.

He said: "Something needs to be done about this as at the moment as at the moment it has got to a point where it is quite unacceptable. "I understand these bags are meant to encourage people to clean up their dog mess but what is stopping someone from just taking them?

"Are people reasonable with the bags?"

The council's town clerk, Samantha Winter, said Litter Free Coasts and Sea Somerset have done campaigns to tackle dog fouling in the two towns in the last year and are in the process of trying to tackle the issue on specific streets in the town.

She said: "Beach wardens could give out bags to people while they are out patrolling the beach each day.

"Maybe what we need to look at is the enforcement side of dog fouling."

Councillors also discussed plans to install a dog bin along the pathway from Old Way Place onto Pepperall Road in Highbridge at a cost of £139.52.

Councillor Janet Keen said the new bin will be more screened than the existing bin and will cause less disruption to residents.

But Cllr Clayton said the council needs to be sure that Sedgemoor District Council will empty the bin. 

Councillors voted to approve plans for the dog poo dispenser trial and agreed in principal to purchase the new bin on the condition that Sedgemoor District Council will empty it.