A ROSYTH resident has hit out after hearing a large greenspace in the town is to become a no-go area.

Suzie MacDonald contacted the Press after council officers had told her that the public should not be using the playing field next to Camdean Primary School.

"The issue seems to stem from dog-fouling in the area but rather than putting in bins and fining irresponsible dog owners, the council have chosen to punish everybody who uses the fields," she said.

"I know that someone from the council confronted a group who walked their dogs as a group in the morning and said this is school property. They said we have been walking here for years and don't realise what the issue is.

"I understand having dogs on school grounds could be an issue but we didn't know these grounds belonged to the school because they have always been used by everyone.

"They are now putting their foot down and saying it is private grounds and no-one is allowed."

Suzie said the area was used extensively by local residents.

"It isn't just dog-walkers. People have been using it for years," she said. "People hold exercise classes, people use it and take their kids down with kites so to ban everybody seems extreme.

"They say it is not a right of way but as far as I know, it is a right of way and has been used for over 20 years so there should be some consultation.

"The children themselves don't use any of the grounds during the winter because it is normally waterlogged and in the summer they are not allowed to go too far away and only use about a fifth of it. For 14 weeks of the year, they are on holiday.

"There is just one dog warden so I am not sure how it's going to be policed. It is completely open ground and there's three entrances to it.

"It is the biggest green space in Camdean. One of the concepts of being a Garden City is access to green space but Fife Council intend to ban the public from the largest green space in Rosyth."

Avril Graham, infrastructure and systems team manager with Fife Council’s education services, said: “Following complaints from parents, along with children repeatedly coming in from outdoor learning and sporting events with their footwear covered in dogs’ dirt, the school has taken the decision to ask dog owners not to bring dogs into the school grounds.

“The school has also consulted the Parent Council and will be writing to the school community to ask for their support. This is in line with many Fife Council schools, many of which display signs asking for dogs not to be brought into their school grounds. Guide/assistance dogs are welcome."

Tricia Spacey, safer communities service manager, added: “It’s not easy for our officers to always be in the right place at the right time so I would encourage anyone to let us know if they spot someone not picking up after their pet and we can investigate. We can also arrange for more patrols if it’s happening at specific times/days. You can let us know online at www.fife.gov.uk/dogfouling and if you’re not online you can call 03451 55 00 22.”