A FOOTBALL club in Cwmbran has urged dog owners to be more respectful and pick up their animals' mess from sports pitches.

Adam Howells, at Coed Eva Athletic AFC, said volunteers from the club were finding dog mess "all over our pitches at The Birches".

This is despite Torfaen council placing a Public Spaces Protection Order on the sports fields, banning dogs from the marked sports pitches.

Dog owners who are caught breaking those rules could face a fixed penalty notice or a fine of up to £1,000 if they are convicted.

The order also bans dogs from the nearby children's play area and Pontnewydd Primary School.

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"The health and safety implications from dog faeces could be huge," Mr Howells said.

"We understand we are not currently playing - however this could have an affect on all 19 of our own teams and visiting teams when we do return to playing.

"It is also a struggle for a number of our volunteers, who spend a lot of time trying to upkeep our sport pitches and continue to find dog faeces all over the pitches.

"We would just like to remind the public of the health and safety hazards and to keep the dogs off the sport pitches."