NORTH Ayrshire Council have leapt into action after complaints about dog mess blighting the area surrounding Ardrossan Marina.

One angry dog owner contacted the Herald to say they had complained repeatedly to the council about the mess - buit nothing had been done.

But after the Herald contacted NAC, a spokesman revealed that actione HAD been taken - and one irresponsible dog owner had been hit with an £80 fixed fine.

The dog owner who complained about the mess told the Herald: “It’s not just one bit of Mariner’s View, it is all the way round. It is mainly residents in Mariner’s View and Dockers Gardens, how can anyone live like that?

“It is pure laziness. I have phoned North Ayrshire Council’s Streetscene team regularly and they listen and say they will deal with it. They keep saying they will take note but I have never seen them out.

“This is definitely not just one person, it is just horrendous. It dements me as it is a nice area to live, I have to keep my dog on its lead because of the mess.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “After receiving complaints regarding the dog fouling issue in this area our enforcement officers immediately investigated and have issued a local resident with an £80 fixed penalty under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. The team have continued to monitor the area in a bid to identify further offenders.

“Although the land in question is in fact privately owned, we have also provided the residents of this area with a dog waste disposal bin which is maintained by our Streetscene officers.

“We will continue to monitor the area until we see an improvement and thank the original complainer for providing us with the detailed information that helped us achieve a positive result.

“We would encourage the same level of communication from anyone who is affected by dog fouling, fly-tipping or any other environmental crime.”