ANGRY dog walkers have said they resent being fined for failing to clean up after their pets when the bin provided by the council is overflowing and practically inaccessible.

Residents in Catterick Village are tired of seeing the dog waste bin on a popular walk full to the brim with bags and surrounded by a barrier of wild nettles.

They have decided to speak out after pensioner Jean Williams was fined £50 when she failed to notice her dog fouling in the long grasses of a well-used 18-acre field.

Despite having a plastic bag ready to clear up after rescue labrador-cross Holly, the dog warden fined her on the spot.

"With four children and eight grandchildren, I more than anyone know the dangers of dog mess to youngsters," said Mrs Williams, of Noels Court.

"But if they expect us to clean it up from an overgrown field then they should provide us with a working bin."

The problem for dog walkers in the area is that while they are prepared to clean up after pets, the bin provided by Richmondshire District Council is hidden in a tangle of weeds.

Dog owner Ken Richardson, a former parish councillor, has complained on a number of occasions to the district council about the unruly weeds and the unsatisfactory bin.

"It really angers me that local people are being fined and yet the council are not cleaning up around their own facilities," he said.

After a call from The Northern Echo yesterday, the council has since investigated the site and accepted that some changes need to be made.

Executive director Tony Clark said that while the bin was emptied every Friday, the problem was one of over use and the council would look to empty it on a more regular basis.

He said the nettles were a seasonal problem and he would ensure the ground maintenance contractors resolved the problem quickly.

The council's chief executive, Harry Tabiner, has also written in response to Mrs Williams' complaints, saying that walkers in the field must abide by the law and clean up after their dogs.