A LOCAL councillor claims something stinks... after a knock back of a request for dog fouling signage due to copyright issues.

Martin McElroy said sections of his ward in Springburn are littered with dog mess.

After approaches by locals desperate for something to be done about lazy pet owners, he asked Glasgow City Council for signs.

But he was told no as the council has run out of signs and there are delays in getting more “due to issues with copyright.”

Mr McElroy said: “Who would’ve thought that a picture of a dog doing its business would be subject to a legal dispute?

“I think most owners know about their responsibilities in keeping the streets clean and picking up after their dog, but these signs do make a difference.

“There is one particularly problematic area in my ward where we have been waiting six months for a sign to be put up.

READ MORE: Council chiefs warned to 'get a grip' of dog fouling

“The council needs to sort out the copyright issue or come up with an alternative design.”

One local resident contacted the councillor about the problem because she was at her wit’s end with it.

She said: “It’s got to the point now you cannot walk from your car to front door without standing in it.”

On applying to the local authority for support, Mr McElroy was told by a council official: “I can advise we currently have no dog fouling signage in stock and, due to issues with copyright, it may be some time before we are in a position to obtain signs.”

But Glasgow City Council now claim there is no issue with the signs - and some are on their way.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "The issues have been rectified and new No Dog Fouling signs have been ordered and will be installed as requested."

READ MORE: Dog fouling in Glasgow: Call to take action against 'ignorant' pet owners

Last year the Evening Times told how more than half a million pounds of litter fines with 10 times more fines handed out for dog fouling than for anything else.

Of 7473 fines in 10 months, 789 fines were given to dog owners.

At £80 a time to avoid prosecution, the total means the city handed out almost £600,000 worth of fines.

We also told how Glasgow had issued the most tickets for dog fouling in Scotland.

But city dog owners were not paying up, owing £90,000 in unpaid debt from Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN).

Glasgow City Council handed out 67 per cent of the total FPNs given out by the 32 local authorities for dog fouling.

The council said people could face court action or even eviction from rented homes if they fail to pay a FPN.

Anyone who fails to pay after 28 days is referred to debt recovery.

Landlords are notified if repeat offenders live in socially rented housing while repeat offenders in private accommodation are referred to Community Relations Officers to pursue under Anti-social Behaviour legislation.

Read more of today's top Glasgow stories.