THE cost of clearing up after the region’s dogs is set to double in the next financial year.

Nailsea Town and Backwell Parish councils have accepted that North Somerset Council has extended its contract with a company which looks after dog bins, due to a lack of alternative.

However, Fountains has increased the cost of emptying them from �1 to �2 per collection, with a �5 charge for any new ones installed.

Nailsea town clerk Ian Morrell said: “We will have to have a review of the bins to see if they are in the best locations.

“If we are paying �5 a time for any new ones and in busy areas they might be emptied twice a week, this equates to more than �500 a year, which is quite expensive.

“We will have to look at the issue carefully.”

Speaking at a meeting earlier this month, chairman of Backwell Parish Council Bob Taylor said: “We have a lot of doggy bins but we still don’t have enough, especially by schools.

“The problem is most owners walk their dogs at night and don’t pick up after them because they can’t see it.

“There is not much we can do about the charge though as more bins will now cost a lot more.”