SCHOOLCHILDREN in Kingswinford are falling foul of irresponsible dog owners during their daily trek to school.

But one mother has had enough of playing "dodge the poo" and has urged the council to step in and "make an effort to stop it from happening".

Kerry Lewis, aged 34, of Burnham Close, said the problem was "ridiculous".

The childminder, who walks children to and from Dingle Community Primary School daily, said: "Up and down every road there is dog fouling everywhere. I have contacted the council numerous times regarding this issue.

"The estate is used by many dog walkers who use our streets as a cut through to the water tower where they walk their dogs. There are signs up saying no dog fouling but it's not stopping the matter and on many occasions there is dog fouling all around the perimeter of the school."

The mother-of-two said that although there is a dog bin right next to the school, it seems owners "just can't be bothered".

Mrs Lewis continued: "I'm not saying it just happens here, I know the problem is everywhere and I know not every dog walker leaves their dog's mess.

"This has happened for many years now and it just doesn't stop. There's a lot of children who play and live around here and it's not nice for them or us as parents to clean animal mess which doesn't belong to us."

Ken Hughes, deputy headteacher at the school, added: "We have noticed a problem and we deal with it as and when it happens. If a child does come into school with mess on their shoes, we obviously clean it.

"If we can work out where it comes from, a member of staff will often go out and clear the mess but we obviously can't clear all of the streets surrounding the school."

He continued: "We have signs on our fence informing parents that dogs should not be walked on school premises and the mess issue is not a problem inside school grounds."

Dudley South MP Chris Kelly, recently visited Mrs Lewis to see the problem for himself.

He said: “Whilst dog fouling has always been an issue most sensible dog owners do clean up after their dogs. I would call on the council to firstly clean up the area concerned and look to target and fine those irresponsible owners.”

Councillor Tracy Wood, cabinet member for environment and culture, said enforcement officers  have issued two fines for dog fouling in the area over the last 12 months.

She added: "Following this latest report we will ensure enforcement officers monitor the area again. We also continue to rely on people reporting irresponsible dog owners who are failing to clear up after their pets."

Cllr Wood urged anyone to report issues to Dudley Council Plus on 0300 113 2345.