In the last three years Ashford Borough Council has handed out just THREE fines for dog fouling – and one of those was never paid.

The shockingly low statistics were exposed by a Freedom of Information request made by the Kentish Express, which revealed the two dog owners who paid up were caught in East Mountain Lane, Kennington, between 2013 and 2014, and Mallards, South Willesborough, in the past year.

The unpaid fine was issued between 2012 and 2013 in St Michael’s, Tenterden, and the council was told by its legal advisers to drop the charge after the dog owner appealed.

News that just one £50 fine was dished out per year has angered residents who were already campaigning against dog fouling.

Rachel Thomas, 32, of Church Road, Willesborough, started a one-woman campaign against the dog mess in her street earlier this year as her son Hugo, six, who has Down’s syndrome, often picks up and eats whatever he can get his hands on.

The mother-of-two, who chalked the words ‘pick it up’ on the floor outside her house, feels penalties are too soft and not enough is being done to enforce them.

She said: “It is absolutely disgusting that only two people have been made to pay.

“It’s disrespectful these dog owners are not picking it up in the first place but the council doesn’t have the money or resources to do anything about it.

“If the penalties were higher, like in other countries, then people wouldn’t do it. In our country everyone just gets away with what they want, it’s backwards.

“I just resort to picking it up myself and washing the pavement off. I’ve given up really. The world would be a much better place if people gave a damn about each other.”

Charles Roscoe, 62, of Poppymead, Kingsnorth, regularly walks his dog Betty, a basset hound, in Park Farm, and says the amount of dog waste in the area is alarming and unhygienic.

He thinks the answer to catching culprits is to get more bodies monitoring the streets.

He said: “I think litter wardens and dog wardens working in conjunction with each other is the answer.

“I see no reason why police community support officers cannot carry out this role.

"Furthermore, we have many unemployed persons who could assist the community by making themselves available to help clearing up on a voluntary basis linked to their state benefit - condition of receiving benefit is to help the community.”

When we visited parks in Ashford, including Victoria Park and The Memorial Gardens, signs warning about fines for dog fouling were either not on display or very difficult to spot.

ABC has just one dog warden, who spends a lot of his time dealing with stray animals.

Council spokesperson Dean Spurrell said: “The council takes dog fouling seriously – it is an unnecessary blight on the borough.

"The majority of dog owners are responsible and put their pets’ waste in the appropriate place, however, unfortunately there are those who act selfishly and spoil it for the rest of us.

“The difficulty with enforcement is proving liability, which is why the council has focused on the education rather than enforcement route, and we are also looking at more resources to tackle the issue.

"We expect everyone to do their bit to keep our borough clean and tidy."

There are an estimated 8.5 million dogs in the UK, who between them produce more than 1,000 tonnes of dog mess a day.

As well as the smell and mess, the problem with failing to ‘bag and bin’ what your dog leaves behind is the danger of toxocariasis, a rare infection caused by roundworm parasites.

It is spread from animals - mostly cats, dogs and foxes - to humans via their infected faeces.

Symptoms include a cough, headache, high temperature and stomach pains, but in rare cases, the roundworm larvae infect organs such as the liver, lungs, eyes or brain and cause severe symptoms such as fatigue, breathing difficulties and blurred vision.

Report dog fouling to Ashford Borough Council here or by calling 01233 331111 or emailing Canine.officers@ashford.gov.uk