The mayor of Beccles has issued an appeal to dog owners to clean up after their pets around the town.

The call came following a trip to Beccles Common were eight instances of dog mess were found in just one small area.

Caroline Topping said the visit was a “real eye opener” and is appealing to residents and visitors to keep the town clean.

She said: “It has been a problem for ages. I haven’t noticed it so badly around the town but the common has always been an issue because a lot of people go there to walk their dogs and don’t necessarily watch what they are up to all the time.

“But we also get a lot of children down there playing with kites and footballs and it’s not nice for them.

“We checked the children’s play area but that was clear which is good because dogs are not supposed to go in there.”

Mrs Topping stressed that as well as a number of red and green bins specifically for dog mess located across the town, all Waveney District Council rubbish bins may be used for the disposal of bagged dog mess and there are a number of green wheelie bins located around the common which can also be used.

She said: “We even found in some cases that people had picked the dog mess up in a bag and then thrown the bag on the floor.

“There are plenty of bins around the town.

“I know some people think you can only use the red or green ones but this is not the case.”

As part of the appeal Mrs Topping is inviting concerned residents to nominate locations for more dog bins in the town.

She said: “As part of the town council we’ve got a Pride in Beccles working group which has a budget and members are happy to discuss where more could go.”

Residents can also obtain copies of a poster requesting that dog mess be bagged and properly disposed of from the Town Hall or through their ward councillor.