COMMUNITY leaders in Innerleithen are on a mission.

They are calling on locals to roll up their sleeves and help them tackle the dog poo problem in the town.

But fear not, they don’t want you to pick up the mess left by irresponsible dog owners – the task they have in mind isn’t quite so foul.

Community councillors are asking members of the public to vote in Scottish Borders Council’s Localities Bid Fund so they can secure enough pounds to rid the town of poo.

The dedicated team have been working on various initiatives to tackle the problem that blights every community. If successful in their bid they hope to buy 18 new bins with poo bag dispensers.

A crowdfunding page has also been set up to assist in funding the project.

Jackie Couchman said: “We’ve managed to borrow an example of the bin and displayed it at the Co-op, and at the Dogs’ Trust Roadshow.

"We’re also hoping to take it along to St Ronan’s Primary School to show the Eco Group.

“We hate dog mess on our streets. We hope to develop a model to combat it that all communities can adopt. We need funds to buy 18 bins with poo bag dispensers to help address this persistent problem with positive encouragement and public engagement.”

“Eddleston Community Council and a couple of people from Peebles express interest in what we’re doing, so it’s clearly not just an Innerleithen problem. If we manage to make a difference, it’s a model that could be replicated elsewhere.

“We do need the public vote and feel that we have a strong project. Our hope is to engender a sense of civic pride and the encourage everyone to take ownership of the cleanliness of our streets.”

Details on how to register your vote are on Scottish Borders Council’s website. The deadline for all votes is June 7.