Many people living in Wyesham work tirelessly to make and maintain a happy and harmonious community in which to live.

It’s a place where children love their school, where people take pride in artistically lighting up their houses at Christmas time, where carols are sung on the village green, where residents help one another and where people carefully tend the graves of their departed relatives in the local church yard.

Unfortunately there are those who are thoughtlessly undoing these efforts by regularly allowing their dogs to foul the churchyard.

It also gives a bad impression of Wyesham to visitors who may be trying to trace their family tree.

I recently attended the interment of my mother’s ashes.

My husband, who is severely sight impaired, accompanied me and I had to steer him around several dollops of dog excrement in order to arrive at the prepared site.

This was most unpleasant and is unfair to local volunteers and members of the church who are constantly having to clear this up.

Wyesham churchyard is not a playground for dogs to roam free. However, it would be hypocritical to ban them altogether when we enjoy singing the hymn ‘All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small’ etc.

So I would respectfully suggest that all dog owners keep their dogs on a lead in the churchyard and are vigilant as to where their dog has deposited its mess, then please do the decent thing and pick it up in the true spirit of Wyesham cooperation.

Angela Hoyle, Redbrook Road, Monmouth