As with many towns and villages, dog fouling has been a major issue in the communities of Magor and Undy.

Magor with Undy Community Council and the Local Neighbourhood Police Team are constantly tackling the problems of dog fouling across the villages and looking for new ways to encourage owners to be responsible.

In April 2012, councillors decided it was about time to thank those responsible owners who pick up after their dogs, and agreed to run a quarterly prize draw, entering the names of responsible owners and their dogs in to a quarterly prize draw, with the hope of encouraging more owners to pick up after their dogs.

CSO Hayley Brown said: "Dog fouling had become such a problem that all dog owners were being 'tarred with the same brush' – but not all dog owners are the same. 

"So together with the community council we came up with the idea of rewarding responsible dog owners for picking up after their dogs."

Clerk to the community council Beverly Reed said: "Council have decided not to continue with this project for a further year, but that does not mean that we will not continue to tackle the problem of dog fouling.

"We have already placed an order for additional dog waste bins which will be sited around the community, and we will be looking in to the feasibility of providing dog waste bag dispensers too."

Dog owners who were seen picking up after their dogs were asked by members of the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team, and members and employees of the community council, if they would like their dog to be entered into the prize draw.

The council sponsored the event by giving the winner of each prize draw vouchers totalling £25, while Marlow Vets of Undy donated a free dog pedicure for each of the four quarterly winners.

Joanne Davies, and her chocolate labra-doodle 'Millie', winners of the fourth and final prize draw, have just received their £25 prize and pedicure voucher from Cllr Donna James, chair of Magor with Undy Community Council.

Cllr James said: "Not everyone who owns a dog is irresponsible, and it was really good to be able to reward four responsible owners over the last twelve months.

"The community council are very grateful to Glen Marlow, of Marlow Vets Undy, for the kind sponsorship of a free pedicure for each of the winning dogs, and we are especially indebted to our two local Community Support Officers Hayley Brown and Ruth James, for all the hard work they put in to making this project succeed over the past 12 months, showing that the police and the community can work together to tackle problems."