OXFORD’S parks and pavements are under siege from dog mess – but only two owners have been fined in five years.

The Oxford Mail can reveal Oxford City Council wardens have handed out only two £50 on-the-spot fines since 2004, and none since its Cleaner Greener Oxford campaign launched three weeks ago.

But council spokesman Louisa Dean said it was “incredibly difficult” to catch offenders.

Yesterday, we planted a skull and crossbones flag next to every pile of mess we found in two city parks to highlight the growing problem, which is turning people away from our beauty spots.

We found 21 piles of dog mess in a 20m stretch of parkland in Hollow Way Recreation Ground, Cowley – or more than one for every metre of grass.

And in Gillians Park, between Greater Leys and Blackbird Leys, we found 18 piles of dog mess, yards from a children’s play area and in the goalmouth of the youth football pitch.

Both parks have bins specifically designed for dog mess, but some owners are choosing to ignore them.

Residents branded the city’s parks and pavements disgusting.

Trish Stevens, of Horspath Road, lives yards from Hollow Way Recreation Ground. She said: “Two fines in five years just isn’t enough.

“The dog mess problem is as bad as I have ever seen in Oxford, and I have lived here for 45 years.

"That said, I do have some sympathy for the council, as it must be very difficult to catch owners letting their dogs foul in parks.”

Mum-of-five Sonia Denmark, 38, of Falcon Close in Blackbird Leys, has walked her dogs in the area for years.

She said: “There’s so much dog mess around here. This summer, when the temperatures got up, the smell was revolting. It was everywhere.

“Dog mess is all along the verges and kids can’t run around and enjoy themselves any more, because they’re too worried about stepping in it.

“I can buy 100 poo bags for 99p, so there’s no excuse not to pick it up.”

Barton Stephen, the Oxford Mail’s resident vet, said one of the dangers of dog mess was toxocariasis, a parasite which can cause eye disorders, dizziness, nausea, asthma and epileptic fits in young children if accidentally digested, and even blindness.

He added: “Dog faeces present a very real danger to people, especially infants.”

Council officials, street wardens and police community support officers have issued 177 fines for littering since the start of the campaign.

Bob Timbs, the council’s executive member for parks, said: “I’m glad the Oxford Mail has used these tactics to highlight the problem. Dog mess is disgusting and there needs to be a change in culture.”

Meanwhile Ms Dean added: “It’s incredibly difficult to enforce dog fouling, however, we have trained street wardens, Pcsos, park rangers and the dog warden to issue tickets.

"They carry out regular patrols but the problem mainly occurs first thing in the morning and last thing at night.”

The Cleaner Greener Oxford campaign, backed by the Oxford Mail, urges everyone to bin their rubbish and help cut the £1m a year spent to clean the city’s streets.

Posters of dog mess have been put up on city estates and near parks urging dog owners to stop their pets fouling in children’s play areas.

Anyone caught letting their dog foul in a public place can be fined £80 on the spot.