A council is strengthening its dog warden service after an officer resigned because he was scared off by dog owners.

Craven District Council is to pump an extra £25,000 into its canine control service in a bid to clamp down on dog fouling.

One officer appointed specifically to enforce the dog fouling law, part-time and on a trial basis, quit after a few weeks because of the "confrontational nature" of the job.

The council already has a dog warden whose role is to control the number of strays and to issue fixed penalty £50 fines to owners who allow their pets to mess the pavement and verges.

Now the council plans to fund a second full-time dog warden who, as well as issuing fixed penalties, will join the present warden in her duties. The new warden could issue owners who allow their pets to foul the pavement with a £50 fine.

Greg Robinson, Craven's head of operational services, said the role of dog enforcement officer had been set up on an experimental basis and the officer had resigned because of confrontational problems with owners.

"It's a challenging job stopping people allowing their dogs to foul," said Mr Robinson. "The new job will be full time and it means we can double up with the present dog warden in particular hot spots.

"They can work longer in the day and change shift patterns and have more time to issue enforcement and put more pressure on dog owners.

"Hopefully, the new situation will reduce the risk of confrontation."

Fixed penalty fines were issued under the Fouling of Land Act 2001. Last year, 169 stray dogs were collected in the district and nine fixed penalty fines issued.

Craven Council buys in the dog warden service from Animal Wardens Ltd of West Horton, near Bolton. A spokesman said all wardens undergo a training course which involves dealing with issues of confrontation both with the owner and dog.