STREET wardens in Southend have handed out just one fine for dog fouling in the past four years - despite receiving an average of 100 complaints a year from fed-up residents.


Southend Council has one dedicated dog warden plus twelve other officers who are able to hand out fines, but only one dog owner has been collared for the offence since 2009 - in 2011/12.


Figures revealed to the Echo following a Freedom of Information request show that from 2009 to 2012, residents complained about the problem to the council 302 times.


Southend Council’s group manager for waste and environmental care, Steven Crowther said: “It is unfortunately very difficult to catch offenders in the act.


“Our dog wardens and environmental care officers, who deal with dog control issues among other matters, are out and about seven days a week, and they record and deal with any breaches of dog control.


“We have one dog warden, and a team of 12 Environmental Care Officers who deal with dog control issues.


Residents whose streets are blighted by dog mess have called on the council to get tougher.


Quiller Hawkins, 38, of Christchurch Road, Southchurch, said: ““I realise that trying to prosecute people is difficult I think that the problem is at a crisis point."