RED-FACED council officers are powerless to prosecute a man who let his dog foul inside Colchester Town Hall.

The pup got into the High Street building and left a mess outside the council chamber on the first floor.

The authority said it could not take legal action against the owner because it did not happen on a public highway.

It happened shortly before the start of a meeting where it was revealed the council had not issued a single fine for dog fouling last year.

Will Quince, former Conservative parliamentary candidate, had gone to the town hall to speak about the problem generally.

He said it was a farcical situation that officers were helpless to take action – other than to clear up the mess – in their own premises.

Mr Quince told the council meeting: “This has gone from being serious to ridiculous.

“If the council can’t even enforce bylaws in its own building, how can it do it across the borough?”

Martin Hunt, councillor responsible for street services, said he had taken legal advice about the dog owner and was told the council could not prosecute.

Mr Quince has called on the council to get tougher on dog fouling and double fines.

He found out through a Freedom of Information request that not a single fixed penalty notice had been handed out last year.

He said: “This is not good enough, the residents of our town deserve better.”

He suggested the council started publishing monthly figures of fines issued on its website.

Mr Hunt said: “There has been a problem because of the number of enforcement officers.

“We’ve had two and one of those didn’t make it through the probation period.

“Unfortunately it is notoriously difficult for any local authority to catch people doing it and successfully prosecute them.”

He also agreed to investigate the possibility of the council providing biodegradable bags for dog litter, after councillors reported them being thrown into hedges.