DOG wardens are targeting a Congleton housing estate in a bid to catch a Rottweiler residents claim is terrorising the area.

Angry parents say their children are too frightened to walk to school because of the stray, which they claim has been on the loose for three months.

The dog is said to have caused a road accident, pinned people against walls, and is being linked with an attack on another dog.

Parents are concerned for their children's safety, and are calling for action to remove the Rottweiler from the streets of the Bromley Farm estate.

Mounting anxiety over the stray has prompted Congleton Borough Council to draft in four environmental health officers to back up its dog warden.

The team began patrolling the estate this week in an effort to track down strays, and asked the public to help them by reporting dogs on the loose.

Scores of worried residents took their concerns to councillors Judith Thwaite and Frank Holt, who said the Rottweiler had sparked genuine fear among local people.

"We've been inundated with people phoning us about the dog, which is so big, and children are very frightened of it," said Mrs Thwaite.

"People say it has pinned them up against walls, a pensioner was so frightened he thought he was going to have a heart attack, it caused a road accident, and it's not going to be long before a child is savaged by it.

"I have had dogs all my life and love them, but a roaming dog is a dangerous dog, this Rottweiler should be taken away.

"We have complained to the council about the dog many times, and are frustrated that Council Tax money is being paid out for a dog warden service for which we are not getting the results we expect.''

She said the council's dog warden scheme cost £15,000 a year, and called for a review of the council's policy towards tackling strays.

Environmental health manager John Gerring said the council was stepping up its dog warden patrols on Bromley Farm from this week in a bid to tackle the problem of strays.

"The team of officers will be looking to back up the allegations about strays with evidence, and hope the problem will be resolved in the next few weeks,'' he said.

He asked members of the public who spot strays to ring the council on 01270-873125.

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