IRRESPONSIBLE dog owners are putting workers at a cemetery on the Herefordshire border at risk by not picking up after their dogs.

Dog walkers were told by Powys County Council that they face fines of up to £1,000 by not picking up when their dog fouled, including at Knighton Old Cemetery.

To try and combat the issue, the council put new bins at the exits of the cemetery so rubbish can be disposed of as people leave.

People working at the site had threatened not to cut the grass due to the health risk of dog poo lying around, one councillor said.

Coun Beverley Baynham, cabinet member for regulatory services, said the new bins were part of a wider improvement scheme at the site in Crabtree Walk.

She said: "After listening to concerns from local residents and changing the types of waste bins within the cemetery grounds, we will be able to re-open the access point at the bottom of the Old Knighton Cemetery.

"We hope visitors to the Old Knighton Cemetery use the new bins correctly, including dog walkers.

"There have been occasions when our grass cutting contractors have threatened not to the cut the grass in the cemetery because of the health risk it poses to their employees while they are strimming.

"The majority of dog owners are responsible but there is a minority who let their communities down by allowing their dogs to foul in public.

"We would urge residents and visitors to report any dog fouling incidents to the council."

The council reminded residents that it was an offence to allow a dog in your control, even if you're walking someone else's dog, to foul in a public place and to fail to clean it up immediately.

It said public places included footpaths, playing fields, parks, car parks, churchyards and cemeteries.

Dog foul can be reported to Powys County Council via its website.