A FATHER has been left angry and upset by the sheer volume of dog fouling in the cemetery where his son is buried.

Nigel Warwick 69, of Baird Road in Carlisle, went to visit his son Christopher’s grave on the anniversary of his death. Christopher lost his battle with QT syndrome four years ago.

On the short walk to the graveside at Upperby Cemetery, Mr Warwick was frustrated by the number of cases of dog fouling he could see.

“This is just a short walk to my son’s grave,” he explained.

“I found it upsetting that people could do this sort of thing. They are just disrespectful. Can they not see what they are doing?

“They (the dogs) are supposed to be on a lead.”

Mr Warwick has reported the issue to Carlisle City Council.

“They said we can get somebody to pick it up, but I said ‘can you not stop it?’

“We tried last year and we got nowhere with it.”

Exchanges have often become heated between the 69-year-old and people walking their dogs.

He added: “We just got abuse back. They were really abusive.

“Last year I reported it to the council again, they said they will have a look but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. We shouldn’t have to see this, it shouldn’t be in there.”

In the past year, the council say they have received three complaints for dog fouling in the site.

Mr Warwick continued: “If they stuck a camera up they could catch them. It is disrespectful. "It was particularly upsetting to see, because it was the day he died.

“This is the first time I have seen this much at one time. They shouldn’t be there (the dogs) if this is what they are going to do.

“One guy had three dogs and he had them all off their leads, I said to him that it was disrespectful and I got abuse."

A city council spokesperson said: “We take great care of our cemetery grounds and maintain them to the highest possible standard. Although dogs are allowed within the grounds, they must be kept on a lead at all times and any dog fouling picked up and properly disposed of - there are litter bins in the cemetery which can be used to dispose of bagged dog waste.

“Signage is in place advising of the penalties and the grounds are regularly patrolled.

“The vast majority of dog owners abide by the rules but unfortunately a small percentage flout the rules. This can be extremely distressing to those who have personal connections to the cemetery.

"We urge dog owners to be responsible and for those who have any information about any incidents to contact our enforcement team." To help us stop this anti-social behaviour, please provide descriptions of dogs and their owners who are seen to be contravening the law, especially where this is a regular occurrence.”

Anyone with any concerns should contact customerservices@carlisle.gov.uk, or call 01228 817200 to report incidents.