Community groups in Keighley are being asked to count the amount of dog dirt in their neighbourhoods.

It is one task on a 60-point checklist introduced by Keighley Anti-Crime Partnership to help groups improve their communities.

They can also check how many times they can smell urine as they walk around the streets collecting information for a unique "visual audit".

Residents will be able to spot problems such as empty buildings, suspicious people, signs of neglect and lack of important services in their area. Their findings could be used to put pressure on outside agencies to grant money for improvements, or inspire self-help projects.

The audit has been devised by Leeds University as a way of pinpointing the precise needs of each area.

The Anti-Crime Partnership -- made-up of council, police, business and voluntary sector representatives -- has agreed to test the initiative.

It is looking for community groups in Keighley and surrounding villages willing to fill in the questionnaires. Members will walk their local streets in pairs, taking photographs and ticking boxes on the checklist.

Chris Slaven, Keighley's anti-crime co-ordinator, accepts that some of the questions in the visual audit may not apply to individual areas.

But he believes the wide range of questions will help residents decide the specific needs of their communities.

Mr Slaven said: "We need to be steered by the people in order to do our work more effectively.

"The visual audit encourages people to look at their whole area rather than a single problem."

The checklist covers different types of buildings, including the number of derelict shops, empty houses and broken windows.

Signs of neglect include stray dogs, drug needles, graffiti, rubbish and damaged bus shelters, street lamps or phone boxes.

The researchers are asked to count the number of homeless people, beggars, drug addicts and groups of people hanging around.

They should also look for evidence of police patrols, CCTV cameras and burglar alarms.

Services covered include doctors' surgeries, shops, schools and parks.

Mr Slaven said some of the identified problems could be solved immediately through action by organisations such as Bradford Council.

He said: "We find that most problems in areas have very little cost attached to them, and we have the money to help solve them."

In other cases, Mr Slaven can help groups write a report or prepare a computer presentation to persuade bodies such as the lottery to provide cash.

The audit can be carried out by not only community groups, but also schoolchildren, pensioners or youth club members.

Anyone interested in carrying out a visual audit should phone Mr Slaven on 01535 618019.